The lazuli bunting is a North American songbird named for the gemstone lapis lazuli.
Region
Western North America
Typical Environment
Breeds from the Pacific Coast and Great Basin through the interior West into the northern Great Plains, favoring brushy hillsides, riparian thickets, chaparral, and open woodland edges. It is common in second-growth habitats, burns with regenerating shrubs, and weedy fields. During migration and winter, it moves into northwestern and western Mexico, using thorn scrub, hedgerows, and edges of agricultural areas. It avoids dense forest interiors and extremely arid, vegetation-poor deserts.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 2500 m
Climate Zone
Temperate
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The lazuli bunting is a North American songbird named for the gemstone lapis lazuli, reflecting the male’s vivid sky-blue plumage. It often hybridizes with the Indigo Bunting where their ranges meet on the Great Plains. Males sing a bright, musical warble from prominent perches to defend territories in spring and summer.
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with an undulating, bounding flight
Social Behavior
Outside the breeding season, they form small to medium flocks, sometimes mixed with sparrows and other buntings. In breeding season, males establish and defend territories, singing from exposed perches; pairs are typically monogamous. Nests are open cups placed low to mid-height in dense shrubs, with clutches commonly of 3–4 eggs.
Migratory Pattern
Seasonal migrant
Song Description
A bright, sweet, warbling series of clear notes delivered in quick phrases, often compared to a richer, more varied Indigo Bunting. Calls include a sharp tick and soft chips, used in contact and alarm.
Plumage
Male with brilliant sky-blue head and back, narrow rufous-cinnamon breast band, clean white belly, and two bold white wingbars; feathers are smooth and sleek. Female is plain gray-brown with buffy wingbars and a pale underside, sometimes with slight bluish tones in the tail or rump. Juveniles resemble females but more streaked.
Diet
Feeds on grass and weed seeds, small grains, and a variety of insects such as beetles, caterpillars, and leafhoppers. Insects are especially important during the breeding season to provision nestlings. Will also take small berries when available. Frequently visits seed-rich weedy patches and occasionally bird feeders offering millet.
Preferred Environment
Forages in low shrubs, along hedgerows, and on the ground at field edges and riparian corridors. Uses brushy ecotones, regenerating burns, and open woodland understories where seeds and insects are abundant.
