The diminutive Indigo Buntings approach the backyard bird feeders with great stealth and wariness and are prone to disappear in the blink of an eye if anything seems amiss. They perch in the shadows inside the bushes watching, biding their time for when they think it is safe to come out. The males carry the resplendent blue plumage, though when they molt annually they can look very spotty. There are no females pictured in this post, thought they visit the backyard, as well. Tiny little birds whose brown plumage make them seem a bit commonplace compared to their cerulean-colored mates.
Passerina cyanea it is!