Painted Buntings (Passerina ciris)
Buntings ... Cardinals
The Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris) belongs to the Passerina genus of birds in the Cardinal family Cardinalidae. Nicknames: nonpareil (Fr., having no equal), Mariposa Pintada (Sp., Painted Butterfly).
Populations are declining on the East Coast where habitat is being lost to "development". The breeding range includes Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia and Louisiana.
Painted Buntings are mostly monogamous and are solitary or in pairs during breeding season. They are shy, secretive and often difficult to see. Males sing from exposed perches and often hop on the ground.
Their striking colors and warbled song have made them a popular cage bird in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.
Description:
The male Painted Bunting is often described as the most beautiful bird in North America. Its beautiful colors, dark blue head, green back, red rump and underparts, make it easy to identify.
The plumage of female and juvenile Painted Buntings is green and yellow-green, serving as camouflage in thickets, woodland edges and brushy areas.
Breeding:
They eat seeds, insects and caterpillars.
References
- BirdLife International (2004). Passerina ciris. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is near threatened
External links
- Painted Bunting by John Audubon
- Florida Breeding Bird Atlas
- Painted Bunting - Passerina ciris - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
- Painted Bunting Species Account - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Painted Bunting Information - South Dakota Birds and Birding
Copyright: Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia.org
Related Web Resources: USGS
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