Buntings are beautiful, small birds found throughout North America. They include a variety of species, from the well-known Indigo Bunting to the breathtakingly stunning Painted Bunting to the rare and mysterious McKay’s Bunting.
In this guide, you’ll meet all the buntings of North America and learn about their range, habitat, and description. No matter where you live or travel in North America, you’ll know the bunting species of that area and how to identify them out in the field. But first, let’s explore what a bunting is.
What are Buntings?
Several birds in North America share the common name “bunting.” However, some of these species belong to different bird families, so many are genetically unrelated.
According to Audubon Magazine, “When early naturalists began classifying North American birds… they slapped the sparrow, finch, or bunting label willy-nilly on just about any species with a thickish bill that looked good for cracking seeds, since that’s what such birds were called back in the Old World.”
As such, when they standardized common bird names, some “buntings” kept the name while others dropped it for a more fitting classification. Nevertheless, they all seem to share a small, conical beak, with some variance in size and thickness.
North American buntings are found in four bird families: the Cardinal family (Cardinalidae), the Longspurs and Snow Buntings family (Calcariidae), the New World Sparrow family (Passerellidae), and the Old World Buntings family (Emberizidae).
The Old World Buntings are the first bird species classified as buntings. North America has two rare species from that family that sometimes wander into Alaska from northern Asia: the Little Bunting (Emberiza pusilla) and the Rustic Bunting (Emberiza rustica).
Otherwise, the most common North American species belong to the Cardinal family. This family has five bunting species easily recognized for their gorgeous, vibrant feathers. Besides the Cardinal family, there are the snow buntings and the Lark Bunting, which are genetically unrelated but share a common name.
Cardinal Family Buntings
1. Indigo Bunting
Range: The Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) migrates in the spring to breed in Central and Eastern North America. They winter in Central America and the Caribbean Islands.
Habitat: These birds are common and widespread. They prefer roadsides, brushy forest edges, and brushy pastures and meadows. You’ll likely see the male perched atop a small shrub or tall grass, singing throughout the day.
Description: The male is unmistakable during breeding season with dark blue plumage from head to tail. The wings are black and blue. The female is less conspicuous, with dark brown feathers above and pale tan below, with sparrow-like wing streaks.
2. Painted Bunting
Range: The brilliant Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris) breeds throughout the summer on the Southeast Coast of the United States. They are also common summer residents in the south-central United States, including Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. They winter in southern Florida, Mexico, Central America, and the northern Caribbean Islands. .
Habitat: These beautiful birds can be found in brushy areas, forest edges, roadsides, shrubby undergrowth in open woods, and gardens with hedges and shrubs.
Description: The male is one of the most colorful birds in the United States. He has a bright red to orange belly, a dark blue head, and a green-yellow back. The female and immature male are yellow below and pale to dark green above.
3. Lazuli Bunting
Range: The Lazuli Bunting (Passerina amoena), breeds throughout the northwestern United States. In the spring and fall, it migrates through Mexico and the southwestern United States.
Habitat: Open brushy areas along streamsides next to meadows and grasslands, as well as scrub oak and chaparral ecosystems.
Description: The male is another bright and beautiful bird. He has a blue head and back, a white belly, and a rusty orange chest. The female resembles a sparrow with pale tan below and brown above.
4. Varied Bunting
Range: Breeds in southernmost parts of Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico. It breeds and winters throughout Mexico.
Habitat: The Varied Bunting (Passerina versicolor) prefers dense, thorny brush, streamside thickets, canyon streams, and desert brushland.
Description: The male can vary in color (hence the common name). Some are lavender blue-purple with soft pink-red hues on their belly, head, chest, and back. Other males are more blue, with bright crimson red on their belly and head. From a distance, the males can look black due to their preference for shady and thick shrubs. The females are less distinct–pale tan below and darker tan above.
5. Blue Bunting
Range: In winter, the Blue Bunting (Cyanocompsa parellina) is a rare visitor to the far south of Texas. Otherwise, it is a common resident throughout Mexico and northern Central America.
Habitat: Woodland edges, dense thickets, and the forest understory in tropical lowlands.
Description: The male is dark blue from head to tail, with black around its beak. It can appear like the Indigo Bunting but has a much thicker and stubbier bill. The female is warm brown, darker above and paler below.
Snow Buntings Family
6. Snow Bunting
Range: The Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis) winters throughout the northern United States and southern Canada. In spring, it migrates to the far north of Canada to breed. It is a year-round resident of western Alaska.
Habitat: In summer, they breed in the northern Arctic tundra, in rocky outcrops, cliffs, and stony beaches. For their winter grounds, they prefer open fields, meadows, prairies, and lakeshores.
Description: While breeding, these beautiful birds have a bright white belly and head, a black back, and black and white wings. Their non-breeding plumage is more tan-brown with sparrow-like wing streaks. Non-breeding adults have a white belly, a tan neck collar, tan cheek marks, and a tan head stripe.
7. McKay’s Bunting
Range: The McKay’s Bunting (Plectrophenax hyperboreus) breeds on the remote St. Matthew and Hall Islands in the Bering Sea. They sometimes visit St. Lawrence Island during the summer and migrate to Alaska’s west coast in fall and winter.
Habitat: Open tundra, rocky outcrops, and stony beaches.
Description: This bird resembles the Snow Bunting but is whiter, with less black on the wings and no black on the head or back.
New World Sparrow Family Bunting
8. Lark Bunting
Range: The Lark Bunting (Calamospiza melanocorys) winters in the far southwestern United States and northern Mexico. In spring, it migrates north to breed in the Great Plains region.
Habitat: You can find this bird in open plains and prairies. You may spot the males fluttering up from the tall grass while singing throughout the summer.
Description: The breeding male is all black with white wing patches. Non-breeding adults and females have a white belly with tan streaks and sparrow-like streaked wings. They have a brown head with a subtle pale eye streak.
The Buntings of North America
Buntings include some of the most beautiful and colorful birds in the United States. When you spot a bright Indigo or Painted Bunting, you’ll be stunned by their incredible beauty and depth of color. Even the subtle Snow Bunting, with its pearly white feathers, is a lovely and lively bird to behold.
No matter where you are in North America–whether in the far south, the Great Plains region, or the Arctic tundra–there’s a bunting for you to find. If you’re brave and adventurous, you might even travel to the Baltic Sea to witness the rare McKay’s Bunting.
How many buntings on this list have you seen? Feel free to share how many you’ve seen and your experience with these stunning birds in the comments below!
We have other guides to birds in North America which you can check out here:
Types of Woodpeckers in North America: A Guide
Types of Hummingbirds in North America: A Guide
A Guide to the Corvidae of North America
2 replies on “The 8 Species of Buntings in North America”
This sounds like a great site for me to follow and learn new bird types!
@Kathryn Thank you for your comment Kathryn. We hope you find our articles helpful in your birding journey!