facts about the painted bunting
By zteve t evans
The male Painted bunting (Passerina ciris) is often regarded as the most beautiful and spectacular of all North American songbirds. Their heads are a deep, but bright blue and their backs are green and they have a red breast and under parts.
Camouflage
Although males are brightly coloured they are difficult to spot in undergrowth as their colouring makes excellent camouflage. Females and immature males are yellowish green and green being darker on their backs than their under parts and are also well camouflaged.
Distribution and Population
Painted Buntings have two different breeding populations in the USA. One stretching along the South Eastern seaboard from North Carolina down to central parts of Florida. This population migrates spending winters in southern Florida and possibly parts of the North West Caribbean.
The other population is located westerly from the above and found in parts of Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas and into parts of Mexico. This population migrates to southern parts of Mexico and Central America to spend winter.
Sometimes the flocks may become associated with those of the Indigo buntings who are close relatives and interbreeding may occur. They are also similar to Lazuli buntings.
Although males are brightly coloured they are difficult to spot in undergrowth as their colouring makes excellent camouflage. Females and immature males are yellowish green and green being darker on their backs than their under parts and are also well camouflaged.
Distribution and Population
Painted Buntings have two different breeding populations in the USA. One stretching along the South Eastern seaboard from North Carolina down to central parts of Florida. This population migrates spending winters in southern Florida and possibly parts of the North West Caribbean.
The other population is located westerly from the above and found in parts of Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas and into parts of Mexico. This population migrates to southern parts of Mexico and Central America to spend winter.
Sometimes the flocks may become associated with those of the Indigo buntings who are close relatives and interbreeding may occur. They are also similar to Lazuli buntings.
Range and Diet
Painted buntings prefer to inhabit regions of dense brush, thickets and the edge of woods and can be found in gardens and hedgerows in suburban areas. They feed mostly on seeds and insects foraging on the ground or in the branches of bushes, thickets and trees.
Territory
Males sing from a high, hidden perch amid foliage letting other males know of the bounds of their territory. They sometimes have more than one mate and will fight other males, sometimes to the death, to defend their territory.
Painted buntings prefer to inhabit regions of dense brush, thickets and the edge of woods and can be found in gardens and hedgerows in suburban areas. They feed mostly on seeds and insects foraging on the ground or in the branches of bushes, thickets and trees.
Territory
Males sing from a high, hidden perch amid foliage letting other males know of the bounds of their territory. They sometimes have more than one mate and will fight other males, sometimes to the death, to defend their territory.
Breeding
The nest is constructed of local materials such as grass, animal hair, leaves, and roots to form an open cup.
Although the same species, the two different populations of Painted buntings have different moulting and migration patterns. In late summer the westerly population migrates to northwest areas of Mexico where they moult into their winter feathers before moving further south in the autumn to spend the winter in areas of southern Mexico.
This is considered to be an unusual pattern for songbirds as it requires stopover place with mild weather and good food supplies to moult. The eastern population, unlike those of the west, flies straight to their migration grounds for the winter prior to moulting.
Threats
Their numbers are known to be in decline since 1965. The brightly coloured male is a target for trappers in Mexico who sell them as cage birds. Painted buntings are listed as a species of special concern on Partners in Flight Watch List.
© 22/10/2014 zteve t evans
The nest is constructed of local materials such as grass, animal hair, leaves, and roots to form an open cup.
Although the same species, the two different populations of Painted buntings have different moulting and migration patterns. In late summer the westerly population migrates to northwest areas of Mexico where they moult into their winter feathers before moving further south in the autumn to spend the winter in areas of southern Mexico.
This is considered to be an unusual pattern for songbirds as it requires stopover place with mild weather and good food supplies to moult. The eastern population, unlike those of the west, flies straight to their migration grounds for the winter prior to moulting.
Threats
Their numbers are known to be in decline since 1965. The brightly coloured male is a target for trappers in Mexico who sell them as cage birds. Painted buntings are listed as a species of special concern on Partners in Flight Watch List.
© 22/10/2014 zteve t evans
References and Attributions
Copyright zteve t evans October 22, 2009
Copyright zteve t evans October 22, 2009
- Male Painted Bunting - Passerina ciris-20090208 - CC BY-SA 3.0 - Photo Credit: Doug Janson
- Painted Bunting RWD - CC BY-SA 3.0 - DickDaniels (http://carolinabirds.org/)
- Painted Bunting Female by Dan Pancamo CC BY-SA 2.0 - Dan Pancamo - Flickr: Painted Bunting
- DickDaniels (http://carolinabirds.org/)
- Painted Bunting, Identification, All About Birds
- Painted bunting - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris) - BirdLife species factsheet