Painted Bunting

Passerina ciris

Order PASSERIFORMES - Family CARDINALIDAE

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1. Cool Facts
2. Description
3. Similar Species
4. Sound
5. Range
6. Habitat
7. Food
8. Behavior
9. Reproduction
10. Conservation Status
11. Other Names

With bright blue, green, and red plumage, the breeding male Painted Bunting is one of the continent's most gaudily colorful birds. The species breeds in two different populations, one in the south-central United States, and one along the seaboard of the southeastern states.

Cool Facts

• The western population of Painted Buntings begins its fall migration before molting, molts in staging areas in southern Arizona and northern Mexico, then continues to migrate further south. This migration-molt pattern is common among waterfowl but very rare among songbirds. In contrast to the western population, the eastern population of Painted Buntings molts on its breeding grounds before migration.

• Male Painted Buntings are highly territorial and aggressive toward each other. Fights between males, which include pecking, beating with wings, and grappling, sometimes result in death.

Description

• Size: 12-13 cm (5-5 in)
• Weight: 13-19 g (0.46-0.67 ounces)

• Small, bright finch.
• Male unmistakable with red chest, blue head, and green back.
• Female bright greenish yellow.

• Bill short and thick.
• Tail of medium length.
• Bill and feet blackish.
• Eyes dark brown.

Sex Differences

Male brightly colored, female drabber and entirely green.

Male

Head and nape blue. Back shiny green. Rump, throat, chest, flanks, belly, and undertail coverts red. Eyering red. Wings and tail dark gray.

Female

Crown, nape, and back rather bright olive-green. Throat, chest, and belly yellow-green. Head may show some blue feathers.

Immature

First-year male and female both similar to adult female.

Similar Species

• Adult male distinctive.
• Female and first-year male Painted Bunting resemble Lazuli Bunting, Indigo Bunting, and Varied Bunting, but Painted Bunting is green and yellow, while the others are brown.

Sound

Song is high-pitched, thin, and sweet, consisting of short phrases of variable pitch. Call is a soft rising chip.

»listen to songs of this species

Range

Summer Range

Breeds in two different regions. Western population ranges from southern Missouri and Kansas to the Gulf Coast and northern Mexico. Eastern population breeds along the Atlantic coast from central North Carolina to north-central Florida.

Winter Range

Western population winters in Mexico southward to Panama. Eastern population winters on the Florida peninsula, the Florida Keys, the Bahamas, and rarely in Cuba.

Habitat

Open brushlands, thickets, and scattered woodlands. Along Atlantic coast, also in hedges and yards.

Food

Insects, insect larvae, and spiders in breeding season. Seeds in fall and winter.

Behavior

Foraging

Uses a variety of foraging methods. Can fly up from ground to grab tall grass stems in bill, pull stems to ground, and extract seeds. Also picks insects from spider webs.

Reproduction

Nest Type

A deep, neatly woven cup of plant fibers, lined with hair or fine grass. Usually placed in low vegetation.

Egg Description

Grayish or bluish-white with gray or brown speckles.

Clutch Size

Usually 3-4 eggs. Range: 1-5.

Condition at Hatching

Helpless with sparse down.

Conservation Status

Breeding Bird Survey data show a steady decline in overall population since 1965. Males are targets of trappers for the cage-bird trade, especially in Mexico. Listed as a species of special concern on the Partners in Flight WatchList.

Other Names

Passerin nonpareil, Bruant nonpareil (French)
Colorín sietecolores, Gorrión cabeziazul (Spanish)

Sources used to construct this page:

Lowther, P. E., S. M. Lanyon, and C. W. Thompson. 1999. Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris).In The Birds of North America, No. 398 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.