| Common Name | Painted Bunting |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Passerina ciris |
| Type of Report | Rare Species |
| Date of Observation | 11/30/2023 |
| Number Observed | 1 |
| Reporting Observer's Name | Chad Witko |
| Mailing Address | 106 Woodland Road Vernon, Vermont 05354 United States Map It |
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| Date Completed | 12/01/2023 |
| Latitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | 42.88713553051329 |
| Longitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | -72.5896831636387 |
| Place Name | West River Road (Private Residence) |
| Township | Brattleboro |
| County | Windham |
| Vermont eBird Checklist URL | ebird.org |
| Time of Day | 04:00 PM |
| Length of Time Observed | 12 minutes |
| Maximum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 50 |
| Minimum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 30 |
| Noteworthy Weather Conditions | Scattered clouds |
| Optical Equipment Used for Observation | Zeiss 8x40 SFL |
| Observer’s Previous Acquaintance With This or Similar Species | I've seen Painted Buntings in North Carolina and Florida, including this April at Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. |
| I certify that any attachments included with this report were captured during this observation event. | |
| Description of Habitat | Residential backyard, opposite the west bank of the West River. Other species observed included: American Crow, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Dark-eyed Junco (with which the bunting was closely associated), and White-throated Sparrow. |
| Behaviors Observed | The bird was primarily feeding on scattered seeds on the homeowner's deck but was also observed feeding on the ground. Occasionally it would fly back and forth between some shrubs and the deck. |
| Description of Vocalizations | Silent. |
| Verbal Narrative & Description of Observation | Plain yellow-green passerine overall with a more vibrant green back and buff-olive underparts (brighter on throat). |
| Relative Size & Shape | While relatively small on the passerine front, it was a stocky, finch-like bird with a conical bill. |
| Head | Not the brightest immature male/female type Painted Bunting out there, its head (along with its upper back) are plain moss-green with a few bright highlights. |
| Feet & Bill | Black feet with a dusky bill that has some pale yellow areas. In photos form other observers, the bill seems to show a gape. https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/611763387 |
| Upper Back | Moss to bright lime green, plain, no markings. |
| Lower Back & Rump | Bright lime green, brighter than upper back and wings. |
| Wings | The upper parts of the wings (coverts, scapular area) are dark, moss green. The tertials are the same color with black edges. The flight feathers are dark smoky to brown with pale green edges (there appears to be a molt limit within the primaries based on photos from others): https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/611763951. |
| Breast, Belly, Flanks, Under Tail Coverts | Overall, the bird's underside is entirely yellow, palest on the undertail cover, darkest on the belly, and brightest and most intense on the throat area. |
| Tail | Bright green. |
| IMPORTANT: What similar species were eliminated when making the identification and how was this bird different? | In North America, Painted Buntings are the only bright green passerine. Unique. |
| Other Notes & Comments | In the field, it was hard to determine if this was an immature male or female. In photos, there appear to be the remnants of a gape and a molt limit. I'll leave aging and sexing to the committee! 🙂 |
| This report was written from notes taken: | Immediately After |
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