Passerina amoena
While hiking through the shrubby habitat of Lazuli Buntings, one might soon notice the complexities of the males' songs. Neighboring males copy and learn from one another, producing 'song territories.' Each male within a song territory has slight differences in the song syllables, producing his own acoustic fingerprint. Before leaving in the fall, Lazuli Buntings undergo an incomplete molt; they fly to the southwest to complete the change of wardrobe. This bird is named after the colorful gemstone lapis lazuli. The generally accepted pronunciation of the name is 'LAZZ-you-lie,' but personal variations are acceptable. The scientific name amoena is from the Latin for 'charming, delightful or dressy,' which this bird certainly is. |
I.D.: General: stout, conical bill. Male: turquoise blue hood and rump; chestnut breast; white belly; dark wings and tail; 2 white wing bars. Female: soft brown overall; hints of blue on the rump. Size: L 5-6 in. (13-15 cm). Range: common migrant and summer breeder in the southern U.S. Rockies; increasingly uncommon northward; very rare migrant in the Canadian Rockies. Habitat: brushy areas, forest edges, willow and alder thickets, sage and oak shrublands and pinyon-juniper woodlands in the lowlands and the foothills. Nesting: in an upright crotch low in a shrubby tangle; small cup nest is woven with grass and lined with finer grass and hair; female incubates 3-5 eggs for 12 days. Feeding: gleans the ground and low shrubs for grasshoppers, beetles, other insects and native seeds; visits feeding stations. Voice: Male: song is a fast swip-swip-swip zu zu ee, see see sip see see. Similar Species: Indigo Bunting: no wing bars; male lacks the chestnut breast. Western Bluebird: male is larger, has a slimmer bill and has no wing bars. |
