GrrlScientistScience This article is more than 12 years oldMystery bird: Orange-breasted bunting, Passerina leclancherii
This article is more than 12 years oldThis stunning mystery bird is endemic to Mexico and has several relatives that breed in the United States (includes audio)Orange-breasted bunting, Passerina leclancherii, Lafresnaye, 1840, also known as the orange-bellied bunting or as Leclancher's bunting, photographed at Playa Zipolite, Oaxaca, Mexico.
Image: Nick Athanas/Tropical Birding (with permission).
Question: This stunning mystery bird is endemic to Mexico and has several relatives that breed in the United States. What is this bird's taxonomic family and who are its North American relatives? Can you identify this species?
Response: This is an adult male orange-breasted bunting, Passerina leclancherii. This seemingly glow-in-the-dark passerine is placed into the Cardinalidae family of cardinal-grosbeaks. This species is endemic to Mexico where it resides in dry forests and shrubland in the tropics and subtropics. These birds and their close relatives feed on seeds in the winter and insects in the summer, and they have correspondingly smaller bills than most cardinalids. The cardinalids are also known for being dimorphic, and the males often have dramatic, brilliant colouring (although I think the females are very beautiful as well).
This bird has a number of beautiful North American relatives, all of which are migratory; breeding in North America and wintering in Central and South America. These species include the blue grosbeak, P. caerulea; lazuli bunting, P. amoena; indigo bunting, P. cyanea; varied bunting, P. versicolor; and the painted bunting, P. ciris. Another congener, the rose-bellied bunting, P. rositae, is endemic to Mexico.
This species has a sweet, lilting song that you might enjoy. Embedded below is a 1 minute 55 second audio recording of a singing male orange-breasted bunting, thanks to the talented recordists who freely contribute their work to Xeno-Canto:
You are invited to review all of the daily mystery birds by going to their dedicated graphic index page.
If you have bird images, video or mp3 files that you'd like to share with a large and (mostly) appreciative international audience here at The Guardian, feel free to contact me to learn more.
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