Lazuli Bunting

Passerina amoena

Turquoise head, cinnamon chest, white belly. The Indigo Bunting's stylish western cousin.

Population: ~5.6 million (Partners in Flight global breeding population estimate)
Habitat: Brushy hillsides, chaparral, riparian thickets/streamside vegetation, weedy pastures and fields, wooded valleys, thorn scrub, recently burned areas, and sometimes gardens or towns, from sea level to over 9,500 ft; generally well-watered shrubby habitat
Fun fact: The Lazuli Bunting is named for the vivid blue gemstone lapis lazuli, reflecting the brilliant turquoise-blue head and back of the breeding male; where its range overlaps the Indigo Bunting's, the two species frequently hybridize.
Range: Breeds in western North America from southern British Columbia/southern Canada south through the western U.S. (west of roughly the 100th meridian) to central New Mexico, Arizona, and southern California; winters mainly in western Mexico, with some in the southwestern U.S. (e.g., southeastern Arizona)
Diet: Primarily seeds (grass and forb seeds, wild oats, serviceberry/chokecherry berries, sunflower/millet at feeders) and insects (caterpillars, grasshoppers, ants, beetles, spiders, butterflies), foraging on the ground and in low bushes/shrubs; insects make up a larger share during breeding season
Size: 0.14 m
Wingspan: 0.22 m
Lifespan: 7 years

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