Lazuli Bunting

Overview

The lazuli bunting (Passerina amoena) is a North American songbird named for the gemstone lapis lazuli. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Identification

• Males display a bright blue head and back, lighter than that of the indigo bunting, along with conspicuous white wingbars, a light rusty breast, and a white belly.
• Females are brown, appearing grayer above and warmer underneath, and can be distinguished from female indigo buntings by two thin, pale wingbars.
• The bird measures 5.1–5.9 in (13–15 cm) in length and possesses a short, conical bunting bill.
• Its song is a high, rapid, and strident warble that is longer than that of the indigo bunting with less repetition.

Habitat

Lazuli buntings breed mostly west of the 100th meridian, ranging from southern Canada to northern Texas, central New Mexico and Arizona, and southern California, with the Pacific coast range extending south to extreme northwestern Baja California. They inhabit brushy areas and sometimes weedy pastures that are generally well-watered, occasionally including towns, and migrate to southeastern Arizona and Mexico.

Diet

They consume mostly seeds and insects. While they may feed conspicuously on the ground or in bushes, singing males are often very elusive in treetops.

Did you know?

In the eastern and southern part of its range, the lazuli bunting often hybridizes with the indigo bunting.