Report your observations of Painted Bunting
Painted Bunting is a small migratory songbird. It is a somewhat retiring bird of shrubby habitats and forest edge that breeds in the southern United States and in northeastern Mexico. The multi-colored adult male Painted Bunting is one of the most colorful birds of North and Central America. The plumage of females is a duller and much less conspicuous green. The Painted Bunting has a curiously discontinuous breeding distribution, with eastern and western populations that have non-overlapping breeding and wintering ranges. Painted Bunting is declining in abundance throughout its range. The causes of this decline are not well-understood, although habitat loss and harvesting of males for the international song and cage bird trade are suspected to be the major forces behind the decline. Additionally, the distribution of Painted Bunting remains poorly-known, especially during the non-breeding seasons. We encourage all observers to submit observations of Painted Bunting to eBird or its counterpart for Mexico, aVerAves, particularly during the non-breeding season. These observations will help give researchers monitor the species throughout the year, and help in developing conservation strategies to halt or reverse Painted Bunting population declines.
