Varied Bunting

Passerina versicolor (Bonaparte, 1838)

Varied Bunting, Passerina versicolor, is a cardinalid songbird that breeds in western North America and Middle America, from the south-western United States through Mexico to Guatemala. It is a stocky bird with a short tail and a rounded bill. Its breeding habitat includes deserts and other dry shrublands, especially thorny thickets, thorn forests, scrubby woodland and overgrown clearings. The species nests in the outer parts of thorny shrubs, often close to water. Males in breeding plumage are purple-red with a bright red nape patch, while females are plain light brown.

Order

Passeriformes

Family

Cardinalidae — Cardinals & Allies

Breeding range

North America, Middle America: w USA to Guatemala