Birdsong field guide
Painted Bunting
Passerina ciris
The Painted Bunting is a small, spectacularly colored member of the cardinal family, frequently described as the most beautiful songbird in North America. While males boast a vivid patchwork of blue, green, and red, females and juveniles are a distinctive bright lime-green.
What it sounds like
A rapid, high-pitched series of sweet, thin, musical warbles; the common call is a sharp, metallic 'chip'.
Reference call, compare with what you heard
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Field notes
- Young males are 'cryptic' and resemble females for their first year, only molting into their multi-colored adult plumage in their second autumn.
- The species is divided into two geographically disjunct breeding populations—eastern and western—that have different molt-migration strategies.
- They are frequent victims of the illegal caged bird trade, particularly in Mexico and the Caribbean, due to their striking coloration.
- Males are intensely territorial and will engage in physical combat, including pecking and wing-beating, to defend their breeding range.
- During the breeding season, they supplement their seed-based diet with high-protein invertebrates such as spiders, snails, and grasshoppers.
Habitat
Dense brush, thickets, woodland edges, and shrubby riparian corridors.
Range
Southeastern and South-central United States, wintering in Florida, the Caribbean, and Central America.
Similar & commonly confused birds
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