Lazuli bunting

The male is easily recognized by its bright blue head and back , its conspicuous white wingbars, and its light rusty breast and white belly. The color pattern may suggest the Eastern and Western Bluebirds, but the smaller size , wingbars, and short and conical bunting bill quickly distinguish it. The female is brown, grayer above and warmer underneath, told from the female Indigo Bunting by two thin and pale wingbars and other plumage details.

The Lazuli bunting is classified as Least Concern. Does not qualify for a more at risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.

The Lazuli Bunting is a widespread songbird that breeds in brushy habitats from sea level to more than 3,000 meters throughout the western United States and southwestern Canada. Appropriately named after the blue gemstone lapis lazuli, this species (especially the male) has spectacular plumage. Its habit of frequenting bird feeders makes it conspicuous and well known. This bunting is a persistent and conspicuous singer throughout the breeding season, as was rhapsodized by I. G. More

The Lazuli Bunting, Passerina amoena, is a North American songbird named for the gemstone lapis lazuli. The male is easily recognized by its bright blue head and back (lighter than the closely related Indigo Bunting), its conspicuous white wingbars, and its light rusty breast and white belly. The color pattern may suggest the Eastern and Western Bluebirds, but the smaller size (13–14 cm or 5–5.5 inches in length), wingbars, and short and conical bunting bill quickly distinguish it. More

The Lazuli Bunting is rated as Vulnerable. This rating is a result of population numbers that have decreased over the past years. Although it appears that the population of this bird may be increasing in some areas, it is still considered to be vulnerable to threats. If numbers continue to increase, it may be downgraded to Near Threatened. This bird species is native the Marshall Islands, Canada, Mexico, Russia, the Northern Mariana Islands and the United States. More

Lazuli Bunting - Passerina amoenaLazuli Buntings are birds of brushy areas, and have actually benefited from the brushy habitats which often are the result of forest cutting activities. They are the western counterpart to the East's Indigo Bunting. Their ranges overlap in South Dakota, and the two species often interbreed. The brilliantly colored male is shown to the right, while a photo of the drabber female can be seen on the bottom of the page. More

Lazuli Buntings can be attracted to your yard with seed feeders, water, and a little shrubbery. Identification and Pictures - (Passerina amoena) Lazuli BuntingLazuli buntings were named for the gemstone lapis lazuli. They are a small bright blue finch about 5 to 5 1/2 inches. Like other finches their conical bill is useful for both insects, and seeds. More

A beautifully colored bird, the Lazuli Bunting is common in shrubby areas throughout the American West. More

* Each male Lazuli Bunting two years of age and older sings only one song, composed of a series of different syllables, and unique to that individual. Yearling males generally arrive on the breeding grounds without a song of their own. More

Lazuli Buntings breed mostly west of the 100th meridian from southern Canada to northern Texas, central New Mexico and Arizona, and southern California. On the Pacific coast their breeding range extends south to extreme northwestern Baja California. They migrate to southeastern Arizona and Mexico. Their habitat is brushy areas and sometimes weedy pastures, generally well-watered, and sometimes in towns. These birds eat mostly seeds and insects. More

The lazuli bunting is the western counterpart of the eastern indigo bunting and the two hybridize where they overlap in the Great Plains. The blue head and upperparts give the bird its name, but it is the white belly, the rusty breast, and the white wingbars that separate it from any other North American buntings. The lazuli bunting is common in summer throughout most of the western US and in extreme southern parts of western Canada. More

North American RangeMale Lazuli Buntings in breeding plumage are striking, blue birds with rufous breasts. They have black wings and tails, and white bellies. They look similar to Western Bluebirds, but are smaller, and have two white wing-bars on each wing. They also have thicker bills than bluebirds. First-year males look similar to mature males, but have a brownish wash. Females look like unstreaked sparrows: they are buffy-brown all over, with two narrow, white wing-bars on each wing. More

Bent Life History for the Lazuli Bunting - the common name and sub-species reflect the nomenclature in use at the time the description was written. LAZULI BUNTING PASSERINA AMOENA (Say) HABITS Contributed by MARY MARILLA ERICKSON The lazuli bunting is a jewel like species closely related to the eastern indigo bunting, which it replaces in the west and which it resembles in behavior. More

Lazuli Bunting is a relatively widespread and common breeder across the west, reaching the southern limit of its distribution in New Mexico. The species suffers high rates of nest parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbirds, and populations in some western states have declined. Associated Species - Great Blue Heron, Lewis’s Woodpecker (SC1), Violet-green Swallow, Bewick’s Wren, Gray Catbird, Yellow Warbler, Black-headed Grosbeak, Blue Grosbeak, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, Bullock’s Oriole (SC2). More

The Lazuli Bunting was among the many spring migrants that were unusually prominent in spring 2002, perhaps compelled to seek irrigated developed areas because of drought-induced lack of food in natural habitats. Gjon Hazard reported 50 in the Borrego Valley on 20 April, and Bert McIntosh noted up to a dozen in a day at his home in Poway. Thus the Indigo and Lazuli Buntings seemed a logical selection to "focus on" in this final issue of Wrenderings. More

Good sites for seeing Lazuli Buntings in San Diego County (April-August): * Love Valley (F16) * Wynola (J19) * Milk Ranch Road, Cuyamaca Rancho State Park (M20) * Sycamore Canyon, west of Dulzura (T16) * Otay Mountan (U16/V15) One of San Diego County's most colorful birds, the Lazuli Bunting is of interest for more than just pretty plumage. More

Lazuli Buntings are found only in the west as their cousins, Indigo Buntings, are found only in the east. The two species have been known to hybridize on the Great Plains, where their ranges overlap. Both sexes are about 4 1/2 inches in length and have stubby, heavy bills. The male is beautifully patterned and colored with a cerulean blue head, neck, throat and rump; dark blue back and wings, two bold white bars on the wings, white belly and a rich cinnamon across the breast. More