Female Painted Bunting!

March 8, 2012 | By Roger Real Drouin In Birds |

Just after the afternoon rains cleared, this female Painted Bunting was out picking for seeds.

Of course the male Painted is much more colorful and thus gets all the glory (google Painted Bunting images and see what comes up) but the female is striking in her own right–with her subtle blend of olive green and yellow.

Painted Buntings breed from South Carolina to Northern Florida, and winter in Southern Florida. This one seemed to have a slightly more golden yellow and a lighter green. This winter I have seen two males so far, but this was the first female I’ve seen.

About three weeks ago, when I was hiking with Sandy, a male Painted perched long enough in the bushes at Leon M. Weekes Preserve for me to admire the “flying rainbow,” as my mom affectionately calls these small songbirds.

For some of my previous photography of buntings see here and here.

2 Comments so far

  1. Anna on March 8th, 2012

    She is a beauty

  2. Roger Real Drouin on March 8th, 2012

    Get ready…they’ll be heading back up your way with the warmer weather soon!

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