Tag Archives: painted bunting

Why are Painted Buntings so colorful?

By Sally Siko

With every color of the rainbow showing in his plumage, the Painted Bunting is truly a stunning bird to photograph and see in real life.


But what makes the male Painted Buntings plumage so vibrant?
 As it turns out, it’s a combination of feather structure and three pigments which contribute to the colorful feathers found on these handsome birds: melanin, carotenoids and porphyrins.



*Melanin-Naturally produced by the birds displays as black, brown, red and pale yellow in feathers.



* Carotenoids- Birds which display the reds, oranges and yellows in their plumage is attributed to carotenoids when they eat specific plants or insects, like spiders or grasshoppers, which eat the carotenoids the birds need for their feather colors.



* Porphyrins- A modified amino acid producing pink, brown, red and green pigmentation.



*Feather structure-That bright blue to violet head color is actually a trick of the light.
When sunlight passes through certain proteins and pockets of air trapped between feather barbules — tiny filaments extending from the barbs of a feather — it refracts, just like light passing through a prism.



Unfortunately since winter is here, most of the Painted Buntings have migrated south.
They will return to North & South Carolina in May and stick around through September-ish.
Look for these guys in our coastal areas in scrubby wet habitats, in the scrub brush just behind the sand dune line, at the edges of woods and flying over open tall-grass fields.

Btw, I’m planning on heading back out later this year to share these beauties with my tour guests so I’ve added new trips in 2024 to find the Painted Bunting in NC & SC.
If you’d like to join me, check out the link in my bio for more info and available group tour dates or feel free to shoot me a DM anytime if ya have any questions 🙂

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5

Photographing first year male Painted Buntings in North Carolina

While leading a birding tour last weekend, I spotted this handsome Painted Bunting singing his heart out and fluttering around the shadows of the brush scattered behind the dunes of Wrightsville Beach.
Although this bird isn’t adorned with the familiar rainbow plumage, I was able to identify it as a first year male.
The reason why is because of its song as only male Painted Buntings sing out in varied warbling song, while the females are generally silent save for a few chip calls every now and again.



It can be difficult to identify a juvenile male versus female Bunting though! First-year males (like this bird) look similar to the females (which are dressed in subtle green hues), but the vibrantly colored green color of the young males plumage is much brighter and may have flecks of iridescent blue in it.
Male Painted Buntings retain their green plumage until they are 15-18 months old, then molt into the multi colored feather gems which we are most able to recognize in the field.



As seen in the last couple photos in this post, the adult male Painted Bunting’s upperparts are blue, with a lemon-green back, green wings, reddish rump, and red eye ring. The underparts of their plumage is bright red.
But what is the point in being so flashy?
As with other members of the Cardinal family, the brightest hued Painted Buntings are most likely to attract the mates of their choice.
Not surprisingly, the breeding plumage of the adult Buntings tends to attract the attention of photographers and others the most too lol!
And for good reason, they are truly stunning.

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding both captured on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5

Painted Buntings at Huntington Beach State Park, SC

Seeing one of these colorful birds is such a treat!
Although I’ve encountered Painted Buntings many times over the years, it never gets old. I spent a few minutes photographing this handsome fellow while on a recent birding trip to SC. Though the birds are brightly hued they can be a little reclusive behavior-wise which makes them a challenge to find. The easiest way to locate one is to listen for their high pitched buzzzzed zeeeep calls from ground level to about 20 ft in the brush.


Painted Buntings can be found in open areas along the far edge of the coastlines of the Carolinas (and throughout the southern states) catching grasshoppers, weevils and other beetles, caterpillars, bugs, spiders, snails, wasps and flies.During non-breeding months of early spring and late summer, they prefer to eat seeds, thus if you happen to live on the beaches or barrier islands of the Carolinas, Painted Buntings may become regular visitors to your backyard feeders.


By the way, as colorful as these birds are, their favorite seed is plain as can be lol!If you’d like to entice a visit from one of these feathered gems, fill your feeders with white millet, a seed that is commonly snubbed by other birds yet abundant in the most basic of mixed seed blends.How cool is that?!

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5

A Painted Bunting in Raleigh North Carolina

By Sally Siko

There’s a Painted Bunting who’s been hanging out at Dorothea Dix Park in Raleigh NC that’s been delighting bird lovers with excellent views for the past couple of weeks.
While I’ve already seen several Painted Buntings this year in the eastern part of the state, it was exciting to spot one here in the Triangle!



Although these birds are certainly colorful which makes them easy to see & ID, they can be somewhat hard to find as they prefer to hunt for insects in scrubby brush and the heavy foliage of a tree line where it meets a field.
My best advice when searching for a Painted Bunting is to listen for their high pitched buzzzzed-zeeeep calls from ground level to about 20 ft in the brush.
Painted Buntings can be found along the coastline of North Carolina (and throughout the southern states) catching grasshoppers, weevils and other beetles, caterpillars, bugs, spiders, snails, wasps and flies.
During non-breeding months of early spring and late summer, they prefer to eat seeds and may be found visiting your feeders on a somewhat regular basis.



By the way, as beautiful as these birds are, their favorite seed is plain as can be lol!
Fill your feeders with white millet, (a seed that is commonly snubbed by other birds yet abundant in the most basic of mixed seed blends) & a Painted Bunting might visit your yard too.
How cool is that?!

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my beloved full frame 50MP beast, the mighty @canonusa #5Ds

Find a Painted Bunting with me! Birdwatching NC birding trips

Yes it’s March but this recent stretch of warm weather has me dreaming of spring migration and all the colorful birds that will soon be heading up to North Carolina.
Perhaps the most stunning example of which is the Painted Bunting!
There is no way to mistake this gorgeous bird for any other species with that incredible palette of indigo, red, yellow and green plumage sparkling in the sun or lighting up with a fire of their own in the canopy shadows.

Painted Bunting bird watching Tour



Truly Painted Buntings are a “bucket list” species for photographers and birders alike.
I know I can’t wait to get back out to the coast of North Carolina this spring to see them again myself!
Wanna join me?
I’ve got 3 tours scheduled for May & June of 2022.
Space is limited on these small group trips so make sure you book early to reserve your spot.
For booking details check out my tour link below!

SEARCH FOR THE PAINTED BUNTING AT FT.FISHER BIRDING TOUR



Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on my beloved 50MP beast, the @canonusa #5Ds

Find a Painting Bunting Birding Tours for 2022 Birdwatching NC

Yes it’s February but this recent stretch of warm weather has me dreaming of spring migration and all the colorful birds that will soon be heading up to North Carolina.
Perhaps the most stunning example of which is the Painted Bunting!
There is no way to mistake this gorgeous bird for any other species with that incredible palette of indigo, red, yellow and green plumage sparkling in the sun or lighting up with a fire of their own in the canopy shadows.



Truly Painted Buntings are a “bucket list” species for photographers and birders alike.
I know I can’t wait to get back out to the coast of North Carolina this spring to see them again myself!


Wanna join me?
I’ve got 3 tours scheduled for May & June of 2022.
Space is limited on these small group trips so make sure you book early to reserve your spot.
For my bird watching North Carolina tour booking details check out my tour page HERE



Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on my beloved 50MP beast, the @canonusa #5Ds

Painted Bunting bird watching tour in Eastern North Carolina

One of my favorite birds to see when visiting the coast is the Painted Bunting. I was lucky to see several of them at Ft.Fisher, Wrightsville Beach and Airlie Gardens in Wilmington.
It’s a wonderful experience to view and hear one of these feathered gems up close.



As the first few photos show, the plumage of the adult male Painted Bunting is a vibrant array of colors ranging from red, yellow and green to blues and violet hues.


Scrolling through the pics you’ll notice what appears to be a female bird but it’s actually an immature male.
I was able to make that ID differentiator because males are the only ones that sing which what he was doing when I found him.
Though at first glance immature males do look like females, if you look closely you can see a bit of new colors coming in this young males green feathers. By the time this guy is 18 months he will have molted into his brightly colored adult plumage.



Painted Buntings are a summertime resident of North Carolina and are found in our eastern coastal areas.
They’ve got a voracious appetite for insects during their breeding season but mainly eat seeds throughout the rest of the year.
These gorgeous birds may even be enticed to visit your backyard feeder if you fill it with their favorite food, white millet seeds!

The easiest way to find Painted Buntings is to listen for their songs of a series of high-pitched, warbling notes which rise and fall.
They favor open brushy habitats near salt and brackish waters, also along the wood lines next to fields and marshes.
They’ll stick around the Tarheel State until early September so there’s still plenty of time to find one for yourself before the year is done.
In fact, I’ll be heading back to the coast again on July 12th 2021 to lead another trip to share these stunning birds with my guests.
I can’t wait!

Want to join me?

Click on the Ft. Fisher bird watching trip link below to reserve your spot on the tour!

BIRDING TOURS AT FT.FISHER

https://birdwatchingnc.com/birdwatching-n-c-trips-birding-in-north-carolina/birding-at-ft-fisher-north-carolina-trips/



Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the full frame beast of an SLR, the mighty @canonusa
#5Ds

Painted Buntings have returned to North Carolina- new birding trip dates announced

I headed out to Ft.Fisher NC to see if the Painted Buntings had returned to the area.
After about 30 minutes of searching the area (and getting chewed up by bugs lol) I finally heard his familiar call ringing out by the wood line.
I hurried over to where I thought he’d be, looked up and just like that, there he was!
Though it took a bit of patience to wait for him to come close enough for a good photo, it was well worth the wait to get a close up look.



With every color of the rainbow showing in his plumage, this is truly a stunning bird to photograph and see in real life.
But what makes the male Painted Buntings plumage so vibrant?
As it turns out it’s a combination of feather structure and three pigments which contribute to the colorful feathers found on these handsome birds: melanin, carotenoids and porphyrins.

*Melanin-Naturally produced by the birds displays as black, brown, red and pale yellow in feathers.

* Carotenoids- Birds which display the reds, oranges and yellows in their plumage is attributed to carotenoids when they eat specific plants or insects, like spiders or grasshoppers, which eat the carotenoids the birds need for their feather colors.

* Porphyrins- A modified amino acid producing pink, brown, red and green pigmentation.

*Feather structure-That bright blue to violet head color is actually a trick of the light.
When sunlight passes through certain proteins and pockets of air trapped between feather barbules — tiny filaments extending from the barbs of a feather — it refracts, just like light passing through a prism.



Look for these guys in our coastal areas in scrubby wet areas, at the edges of woods and open fields.
They will stick around North Carolina until October so we’ve got plenty of time to enjoy them this year.
In fact, I’m planning on heading back out to this area several times this year to see them again so I’ve added new tour dates for 2021 to find the Painted Bunting,
If you’d like to join me, hit the link below to see the available Ft.Fisher tour dates 🙂

https://birdwatchingnc.com/birdwatching-n-c-trips-birding-in-north-carolina/birding-at-ft-fisher-north-carolina-trips/
I can’t wait!!

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the full frame beast of an SLR, the mighty @canonusa
#5Ds

Birding in eastern North Carolina: Painted Buntings

Getting ready to head back out to eastern North Carolina tomorrow to go birding in the morning.
Hoping that there’s a chance that I might be lucky enough to encounter another Painted Bunting like this one that I found at Fort Fisher NC last month.
Seeing one of these colorful birds is such a treat! Although I’ve encountered them many times over the years, it never gets old.

When I’m out looking for them, I listen for their high pitched buzzzzed zeeeep calls from ground level to about 20 ft in the brush.
Painted Buntings can be found in open areas along the coast of North Carolina (and throughout the southern states) catching grasshoppers, weevils and other beetles, caterpillars, bugs, spiders, snails, wasps and flies.
During non-breeding months of early spring and late summer, they prefer to eat seeds and may be found visiting your feeders on a somewhat regular basis.
By the way, as colorful as these birds are, their favorite seed is plain as can be lol!
Fill your feeders with white millet, a seed that is commonly snubbed by other birds yet abundant in the most basic of mixed seed blends.
How cool is that?!

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the fabulous full frame SLR, the @canonusa
#5Ds

Biriding in Surf City & Ft. Fisher North Carolina – Video birdwatching adventures

A few days ago, I had the chance to head down to the Surf City, N.C. area to photograph a home for a real estate listing.
The interesting thing was that the owners and the real estate agent from Intracoastal Realty specifically wanted me to photograph the birds found in their yard and in the local area too!

A Red-winged Blackbird black-birding as hard as he can in a backyard of a home in Surf City N.C.


Knowing that this property was a fantastic place to view all kinds of shorebirds as well as Painted Buntings and Boat-tailed Grackles made me the happiest birder/ photographer ever! I couldn’t wait to get started

Love this view! Could totally picture sipping coffee and spotting winter migrants moving around in the marsh from here.
Great Egrets
Great Egret
Brown Pelican

I arrived at sunrise to capture pictures of the home, then spent the morning photographing the birds in the inter coastal marsh which was the backyard.

I thought it was really cool that this house was just a short walk away from the front door! No need to worry about finding a parking spot for 24/7/365 beach access. Priceless!

I also took a 3 min walk right across the street to take some photos of the beach. It was absolutely gorgeous out there!
From Snowy Egrets to Pelicans, a Painted Bunting and Purple Martins, I ticked 15 different species in under 10 minutes so all in all, a wonderful to start the day!

Surf City beach home for sale on Sandy Lane. Any place that boasts Painted Buntings right in the backyard is a birders paradise in my book!


It would be pretty awesome to live at this home if you’re a birder, that is for sure 🙂
If you’d like to see the house & property, here’s a link below…

VIEW HOME

After finishing up at the house, I headed out to nearby Kenneth Batts Family Park in Surf City to see what else I could find.

Boat Tailed Grackle
Black Skimmers

About two minutes after I my feet hit the boardwalk, I spotted a pair of Black Skimmers flying low over the water hunting for food. Check them out in action in the video at the top of this page!
So cool!

Hiding in the shadows, a Painted Bunting in a backyard in Surf City, NC

After a quick lunch break, I took a relatively short drive south to the Ft. Fisher SRA in search of the perfect Painted Bunting shot.
I’d found a couple earlier that day in Surf City but they were hiding in the shadows so the photos weren’t great, lol!

White Ibis at Ft. Fisher
A Willet at Ft. Fisher
Laughing Gull

I chose Ft. Fisher because it offers the ideal habitat needed for finding Painted Buntings and other wonderful shorebirds.

Painted Bunting at Ft. Fisher
Well worth searching for, a colorful male Painted Bunting at Ft. Fisher, N.C.


Within just a few minutes of walking, the scrubby dense brush piles and open areas yielded me what I’d been searching for, a gorgeous male Painted Bunting singing away on his perch in perfect light.
Success!

Photos by Sally Adams Siko
Canon 5Ds