Painted Bunting —Ross Feldner

One of the most colorful birds in the U.S., the Painted Bunting, seems almost unreal, much like a Wood Duck. Its nickname in Louisiana is “nonpareil,” meaning “without equal” in French.

Sadly, they are popular cage birds and are heavily trapped in their wintering grounds, particularly in Mexico, even though international laws ban the sale of wild-caught birds from country to country, and many countries (including ours) ban the sale of wild-caught birds in pet shops. Male Painted Buntings are especially targeted. In addition to trapping, their declining numbers are a result of habitat loss and frequent window collisions.

The Painted Bunting has a diet mostly of seeds which is supplemented by insects during nesting season.

Even with their striking coloration, these birds are hard to find other than in breeding season as they prefer to stay hidden in the dense cover of brush areas and woodland edges.

Males are extremely territorial, staking out territories of up to several acres through song and displays. The males will aggressively defend their territory and will fight intruders by pecking, grappling, and striking with their wings. These fights can be so fierce that sometimes they end in the death of one of the males.