Photo: Jorge Elías from Miami, Florida / CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Painted Bunting
Passerina ciris
Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of North America.
Found across 18 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris) is a member of the Cardinalidae family found in Central America & Caribbean and North America. Adults weigh 15.5 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Passeriformes
- Family Cardinalidae Cardinals & Allies
- Genus Passerina
- Species ciris
Where it lives
Southern, southeastern USA and northern Mexico
Quick facts
- Weight
- 15.5 g
- Diet
- Seed-eaters
- Family
- Cardinalidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Male vs female
Strongly dimorphic: adult male has a blue head, green back and red underparts/throat/rump, while the female is uniform bright yellow-green with a pale eyering.
Juvenile appearance
First-year males resemble the green female and only attain the multicolored plumage in their second fall (roughly 15-18 months old).
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Painted Bunting is a granivore — it feeds mainly on seeds and grain.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open scrub and shrubland, it forages mainly on the ground.
Migration
The Painted Bunting is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
The Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris) is a member of the Cardinalidae family, within the order Passeriformes. It is found across Central America & Caribbean and North America. Its distribution covers NA, MA s, se USA and n Mexico.
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 15.5 g, with a wing length of about 7 cm and a tail of around 5.2 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
Its mapped global range covers an estimated 1.4 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Painted Bunting?
The Painted Bunting is a small bird that weighs around 15.5 g.
Where does the Painted Bunting live?
The Painted Bunting is found across Central America & Caribbean and North America with a range covering NA, MA s, se USA and n Mexico, where it is typically found in wooded and forested habitats.
What family does the Painted Bunting belong to?
The Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris) belongs to the Cardinalidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Painted Bunting eat?
The Painted Bunting is a granivore — it feeds mainly on seeds and grain.
Does the Painted Bunting migrate?
The Painted Bunting is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
Is the Painted Bunting endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Painted Bunting make?
1 real field recording of the Painted Bunting — including its song — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Painted Bunting's range?
The Painted Bunting has a mapped global range of about 1.4 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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Guides for this bird
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