Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
First, make note of your location and the date of your sighting. What region of North America are you located in, and what buntings can be found there? Are they there during that time of year? Most field guides have range maps for each species -- refer to your guide to determine what bunting species you are most likely to see in the area you are in. You are not likely to see a snow bunting in Florida, as an example - Florida is not included in the snow bunting's range.
Next, check the size and shape of the bird you see. Buntings are small songbirds - only about 6 inches long from head to tail, and never larger than a child's fist. They are plump; they resemble sparrows and finches, but have a distinctly shaped bill which is thicker and more cone-shaped than their finch and sparrow relatives, although you will need to use more than just the beak alone to distinguish between them.
Colors can provide major clues about the type of bird you are looking at. If the bird is uniformly brilliant blue, you are likely looking at a male indigo bunting - a bunting in name only, since it belongs to the family Cardinalidae. Female indigo buntings are harder to distinguish because of their drab brown coloration; they are distinguished by light, buff wing bars and dark upper bills. The indigo bunting prefer edge habitat along intensely farmed areas or deep woods.
If the bird is small, plump, and blue with a rusty chin and white belly, you may be looking at a lazuli bunting. Lazuli buntings are actually part of the Cardinalidae family, so they are buntings in name only. Although its colors are similar to that of the more slender bluebird, lazuli buntings are set apart by their white wing bars and smaller size. Lazuli buntings are only 4 to 5 inches in length, compared to bluebirds, which are typically 6 to 7 inches. Lazuli buntings are common in shrubby areas in the American West.
The bright blue, green, and red plumage of the painted bunting makes it one of North America's most colorful birds. Another bunting in name only, it can be distinguished by its blue head and nape, shiny green back and rump, and red throat, chest, and belly; the wings and tail are dark gray. The painted bunting's range includes the American South and Mexico. This bunting is near threatened and, spotting it is a rare event.
The varied bunting is the darkest of the North American buntings. It is dark purple with a shiny red nape, with the different colors blending into each other; coloring on each bird will vary. Varied buntings are brown during winter months. Varied buntings spend most of the year in Mexico, but can breed as far north as Texas and New Mexico.