Blue Bunting

Overview

Blue Bunting: Small, stocky brightly colored bunting. The male (shown in background) is deep blue overall with black face and upper breast and a stout, black bill. The female (shown in foreground) is uniformly brown with a gray bill. Forages on ground, in thickets and in brushy understory for seeds, insects and larvae. Short flight; alternates rapid wing beats with wings pulled briefly to sides.

Range and Habitat

Blue Bunting: Breeds in Mexico and along the Texas-Mexico border.

INTERESTING FACTS

The Blue Bunting is a scarce visitor to extreme southern Texas, and is much sought-after by birders when it appears.
They are popularly kept as cage birds, this fact must be considered in assessing individual vagrants, who may be escapees.
Vagrancy patterns in this and other Mexican passerines may be affected by habitat destruction in northern Mexico near the U.S. border.
A group of buntings are collectively known as a "decoration", "mural", and "sacrifice" of buntings.

The Blue Bunting is a small passerine bird which measures only 5.5 inches in length. It breeds and finds its natural habitat in northern Central America, Mexico and the southernmost Texas border. This species is a rare visitor to Texas, and much sought after during its sightings there. They are also popular caged birds, and some rare sighting may be escapees. The Blue Bunting is sexually dimorphic. It forages for food on the ground and in low vegetation such as thickets and brush for seeds, insects and larvae. The Blue Bunting is threatened by habitat destruction at the United States and Mexico border, and its current conservation rating is Least Concern.