diff --git a/base/bitarray.jl b/base/bitarray.jl
index 6dfc42a2a2e8a3..c59173b10502e8 100644
--- a/base/bitarray.jl
+++ b/base/bitarray.jl
@@ -352,6 +352,16 @@ function copy_to_bitarray_chunks!{T<:Real}(Bc::Vector{UInt64}, pos_d::Int, C::Ar
     end
 end
 
+# auxiliary definitions used when filling a BitArray via a Vector{Bool} cache
+# (e.g. when constructing from an iterable, or in broadcast!)
+
+const bitcache_chunks = 64 # this can be changed
+const bitcache_size = 64 * bitcache_chunks # do not change this
+
+dumpbitcache(Bc::Vector{UInt64}, bind::Int, C::Vector{Bool}) =
+    copy_to_bitarray_chunks!(Bc, ((bind - 1) << 6) + 1, C, 1, min(bitcache_size, (length(Bc)-bind+1) << 6))
+
+
 ## custom iterator ##
 start(B::BitArray) = 0
 next(B::BitArray, i::Int) = (B.chunks[_div64(i)+1] & (UInt64(1)<<_mod64(i)) != 0, i+1)
@@ -562,6 +572,93 @@ convert{T,N}(::Type{AbstractArray{T,N}}, B::BitArray{N}) = convert(Array{T,N}, B
 reinterpret{N}(::Type{Bool}, B::BitArray, dims::NTuple{N,Int}) = reinterpret(B, dims)
 reinterpret{N}(B::BitArray, dims::NTuple{N,Int}) = reshape(B, dims)
 
+## Constructors from generic iterables ##
+
+BitArray{T,N}(A::AbstractArray{T,N}) = convert(BitArray{N}, A)
+
+BitArray(itr) = gen_bitarray(iteratorsize(itr), itr)
+
+# generic constructor from an iterable without compile-time info
+# (we pass start(itr) explicitly to avoid a type-instability with filters)
+gen_bitarray(isz::IteratorSize, itr) = gen_bitarray_from_itr(itr, start(itr))
+
+# generic iterable with known shape
+function gen_bitarray(::HasShape, itr)
+    B = BitArray(size(itr))
+    for (I,x) in zip(CartesianRange(indices(itr)), itr)
+        B[I] = x
+    end
+    return B
+end
+
+# generator with known shape or length
+function gen_bitarray(::HasShape, itr::Generator)
+    B = BitArray(size(itr))
+    return fill_bitarray_from_itr!(B, itr, start(itr))
+end
+function gen_bitarray(::HasLength, itr)
+    n = length(itr)
+    B = BitArray(n)
+    return fill_bitarray_from_itr!(B, itr, start(itr))
+end
+
+gen_bitarray(::IsInfinite, itr) =  throw(ArgumentError("infinite-size iterable used in BitArray constructor"))
+
+# The aux functions gen_bitarray_from_itr and fill_bitarray_from_itr! both
+# use a Vector{Bool} cache for performance reasons
+
+function gen_bitarray_from_itr(itr, st)
+    B = empty!(BitArray(bitcache_size))
+
+    C = Vector{Bool}(bitcache_size)
+    Bc = B.chunks
+    ind = 1
+    cind = 1
+
+    while !done(itr, st)
+        x, st = next(itr, st)
+        @inbounds C[ind] = x
+        ind += 1
+        if ind > bitcache_size
+            resize!(B, length(B) + bitcache_size)
+            dumpbitcache(Bc, cind, C)
+            cind += bitcache_chunks
+            ind = 1
+        end
+    end
+    if ind > 1
+        @inbounds C[ind:bitcache_size] = false
+        resize!(B, length(B) + ind - 1)
+        dumpbitcache(Bc, cind, C)
+    end
+
+    return B
+end
+
+function fill_bitarray_from_itr!(B::BitArray, itr, st)
+    n = length(B)
+    C = Vector{Bool}(bitcache_size)
+    Bc = B.chunks
+    ind = 1
+    cind = 1
+    while !done(itr, st)
+        x, st = next(itr, st)
+        @inbounds C[ind] = x
+        ind += 1
+        if ind > bitcache_size
+            dumpbitcache(Bc, cind, C)
+            cind += bitcache_chunks
+            ind = 1
+        end
+    end
+    if ind > 1
+        @inbounds C[ind:bitcache_size] = false
+        dumpbitcache(Bc, cind, C)
+    end
+    return B
+end
+
+
 ## Indexing: getindex ##
 
 @inline function unsafe_bitgetindex(Bc::Vector{UInt64}, i::Int)
diff --git a/base/broadcast.jl b/base/broadcast.jl
index fca4df5a098783..d9da1584d0cf60 100644
--- a/base/broadcast.jl
+++ b/base/broadcast.jl
@@ -3,7 +3,8 @@
 module Broadcast
 
 using Base.Cartesian
-using Base: promote_eltype_op, @get!, _msk_end, unsafe_bitgetindex, linearindices, tail, OneTo, to_shape
+using Base: promote_eltype_op, linearindices, tail, OneTo, to_shape,
+            _msk_end, unsafe_bitgetindex, bitcache_chunks, bitcache_size, dumpbitcache
 import Base: .+, .-, .*, ./, .\, .//, .==, .<, .!=, .<=, .÷, .%, .<<, .>>, .^
 import Base: broadcast
 export broadcast!, bitbroadcast, dotview
@@ -119,13 +120,6 @@ map_newindexer(shape, ::Tuple{}) = (), ()
     (keep, keeps...), (Idefault, Idefaults...)
 end
 
-# For output BitArrays
-const bitcache_chunks = 64 # this can be changed
-const bitcache_size = 64 * bitcache_chunks # do not change this
-
-dumpbitcache(Bc::Vector{UInt64}, bind::Int, C::Vector{Bool}) =
-    Base.copy_to_bitarray_chunks!(Bc, ((bind - 1) << 6) + 1, C, 1, min(bitcache_size, (length(Bc)-bind+1) << 6))
-
 @inline _broadcast_getindex(A, I) = _broadcast_getindex(containertype(A), A, I)
 @inline _broadcast_getindex(::Type{Any}, A, I) = A
 @inline _broadcast_getindex(::Any, A, I) = A[I]
diff --git a/test/bitarray.jl b/test/bitarray.jl
index 4280259acbb4a7..445320f39dc785 100644
--- a/test/bitarray.jl
+++ b/test/bitarray.jl
@@ -132,6 +132,18 @@ end
 
 timesofar("utils")
 
+## Constructors from iterables ##
+
+for g in ((x%7==3 for x = 1:v1),
+          (x%7==3 for x = 1:v1 if x>5),
+          ((x+y)%5==2 for x = 1:n1, y = 1:n2),
+          ((x+y+z+t)%5==2 for x = 1:s2, y = 1:s2, z = 1:s3, t = 1:s4),
+          ((x+y)%5==2 for x = 1:n1 for y = 1:n2))
+    @test BitArray(g) == BitArray(collect(g))
+end
+
+timesofar("constructors")
+
 ## Indexing ##
 
 # 0d