This is the prettiest bird that I have seen in my 10 years that I found in Arizona. I was lucky enough to observe and photograph this bird on the San Pedro River in July of 2002.

 

Description:  The adult male is striking and unmistakable.  It has a red rump, dark blue head, green back with a red rump and underparts. It is only bird in the U.S. to have a blue head and red underparts. The female is kind of bland like other buntings and tanagers in this family.

 

Habitat:   They are a secretive bird that likes brushy lowlands, forest edges and riparian thickets.

 

Nesting:  Their nest is a well made deep cup of grass. They have 2-3 and sometimes 4 broods with 3-4 eggs in the nest. They are polygamous.

 

Diet:   They are a ground and thicket feeder that forages mainly for grass seeds, but they have been known to eat insects.

 

Range: They are found in the southeast corner of western North America and down through Mexico to Panama.

 

Interesting Facts:   

The male is extremely territorial and disputes between males can be bloody and sometimes fatal.

 

A group of painted buntings are collectively known as a "mural" and a "palette" of buntings.

 

The Painted Bunting’s species name, ceris, comes from the Greek myth of Scylla, who was turned into the bird keiris.