Varied Bunting

Overview

The varied bunting is a stocky songbird in the cardinal family, Cardinalidae. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Identification

• This bird is 11–14 cm long with a wingspan of 21 cm and weighs between 11 and 13 g.
• It features a short tail and a rounded bill.
• Breeding males are purple-red with a bright red patch on the nape, which becomes browner in autumn.
• Females are plain light brown, resembling the female indigo bunting but without breast streaking.

Habitat

The species inhabits deserts and xeric shrublands, preferring thorny brush thickets, thorn forests, scrubby woodlands, and overgrown clearings. Its range extends from southern Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas south throughout Mexico to Oaxaca, with small disjunct populations in Chiapas and southeastern Guatemala.

Diet

Varied buntings forage on the ground for insects, fruit, and seeds.

Did you know?

These birds weave open-cup nests from grass and spider webs in the outer branches of thorny shrubs, usually near water.