Painted Buntings, Nature’s Paint Palette, Return for the Winter
The Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris) is unarguably the most colorful bird I could hope to see in my neighborhood in South Florida. We’ve got all kinds of parrots and other beautiful birds, but this one takes the birdseed cake.
After hanging a bird feeder in my jungly yard a few years back, we started noticing them, couples spending the winter. The female is the less outre of the pair, colored a lovely olive or lime green.
They are shy, retiring birds, and prefer to feed briefly, at sources close to thickets and foliage, to where they can quickly retreat.
Welcome back to my yard and feeder!
Painted Bunting Male (Passerina ciris)
Kenneth Setzer 