According to Native American Indian legend "when the Great Spirit was giving all the birds their colors, he ran short of dye, so he gave the last one - the painted bunting - a coat of many colors made from dabs of whatever was left over."
According to Native American Indian legend "when the Great Spirit was giving all the birds their colors, he ran short of dye, so he gave the last one - the painted bunting - a coat of many colors made from dabs of whatever was left over."
(listen to its song)
Described by Audubon as the most colorful bird in the the U.S., the Painted Bunting is sparrow sized between 4.5-5 inches. The male has bright red underparts and rump, green back, blue head and red eye ring. Females are bright green all over and paler below.
There are two distinct breeding populations: one found along the Atlantic Coast from North Carolina south to central Florida; and another that stretches across much of Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, southward into northern Mexico. The eastern subspecies is found mainly on the coastal sea islands with about 50% of the population in South Carolina. Breeding takes place from S. Carolina to northern Florida, they winter in south Florida and the Caribbean islands.
According to long-term Breeding Bird Survey data going back to 1966, the Eastern painted bunting has been declining at an annual rate greater than 3 percent. This translates into more than a 60 percent total population loss. The total eastern population is estimated at about 100,000 birds. Because of its brilliant colors it was a popular cage bird until it came under federal protection; it is still sold in markets in Mexico and the West Indies.
Loss of habitat is the primary cause of painted bunting decline. Buntings rely heavily on grass seeds for food and nest in bushes, thickets and other scrubby places. Although they can coexist with some development, the intensive growth and urban sprawl that has taken place along the Southeastern coast in the past 35 years has permanently eliminated much bunting habitat. Outdoor house cats and nest predation by cowbirds are also a problem. There appears to be a delicate balance between a landscape with enough fields to support painted buntings, but with enough forest to keep predators and cowbirds at a low enough level to maintain high reproductive success.
It has been noted that painted buntings will come to feeders, especially in Florida. White millet is its seed of choice.
©2008 Wild Amelia Nature Festival All rights reserved.
