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Birds of Zihuatanejo

CLASS AVES

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Chordates (Phylum Chordata)

-Vertebrates (Subphylum Vertebrata)

-Birds (Class Aves)

-Perching Birds (Order Passeriformes)

-Cardinals and Allies (Family Cardinalidae)

-Blue Buntings (Genus Cyanocompsa)

-Blue Bunting (Cyanocompsa parellina)


The Blue Bunting is a small, stocky brightly coloured bunting. The male is deep blue overall with black face and upper breast and a stout, black bill. The female is uniformly brown with a grey bill. It forages on ground, in thickets and in brushy understory for seeds, insects and larvae. Resident of coastal regions in Mexico, throughout the Yucatan Peninsula, and northern areas of Central America. It may be found in brushy fields and forests, woodland edges and scrubby thickets.

Blue Bunting - Female

Cyanocompsa parellina

Diet

  • Primarily seeds of grasses, weeds, and other herbaceous plants.

  • Also feeds on insects such as beetles, caterpillars, ants, grasshoppers, and spiders, especially during the breeding season.

  • Forages mainly on or near the ground in dense shrubs, forest edges, and low vegetation.

Range

  • Found from western and central Mexico south through Central America to Costa Rica.

  • Widespread along the Pacific slope of Mexico, including the Zihuatanejo region, where it is a common year-round resident.

  • Inhabits tropical dry forests, thorn scrub, woodland edges, second-growth forests, brushy hillsides, and dense shrublands.

Male / Female

  • Male: Brilliant deep blue overall with a darker face and throat, blackish wings and tail, and a stout bluish-gray bill.

  • Female: Warm brown to olive-brown overall with a faint bluish wash on the wings and tail; lacks the male's bright blue plumage.

  • The sexes are easily distinguished by their markedly different coloration.

Size

  • Length: 14–16 cm (5.5–6.3 in)

  • Wingspan: 22–25 cm (8.7–9.8 in)

  • Weight: 20–28 g

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