| Blue Bunting | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Cardinalidae |
| Genus: | Cyanocompsa |
| Species: | Cyanocompsa parellina |
The Blue Bunting (Cyanocompsa parellina) is a species of passerine bird found in northern Central America.
Appearance[]
The Blue Bunting normally measures 5.5 inches (14 cm) in length with a wingspan of 8.5 inches (22 cm). The male has a dark blue body, with brighter blue highlights on the supercilium, forecrown, malar region, rump and lesser wing coverts. The female is an unstreaked warm brown, slightly paler below.
Distribution[]
This bird breeds in northern Central America as well as in Mexico near the Texas-Mexico border.
Nesting[]
Two white to light blue eggs are laid in a nest made of grass and rootlets, lined with finer materials, and built in a bush or low in a small tree. Incubation ranges from 11 to 13 days and is carried out by the female blue bunting.
Feeding[]
The Blue Bunting eats seeds and insects. It forages in brushy forest understory, dense scrubby thickets, and on the ground. At bird feeders, the blue bunting will readily eat safflower, apple slices, suet, millet, peanut kernels, and fruit.