# Lazuli Bunting

*Passerina amoena*

Young males often arrive at breeding grounds without a song of their own and 'borrow' the specific melody of an established older neighbor, creating distinct local song dialects.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Passeriformes › Cardinalidae › Passerina
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** grassland
- **Habitat:** Shrub-steppe, riparian thickets, brushy pastures, and open woodland edges.
- **Diet:** Insects such as caterpillars, beetles, and grasshoppers during summer; seeds and grains during winter.
- **Range:** Western United States, Western Canada, Mexico
- **Size:** Length: 13-15 cm; Wingspan: 22 cm; Weight: 13-18 g
- **Lifespan:** 4-9 years in the wild
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Habitat fragmentation, urbanization, and brood parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbirds.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless. Observe from a distance of 10-15 feet to avoid causing stress or flushing the bird from its perch. They pose no physical threat to humans and are best enjoyed with binoculars.

## About

The lazuli bunting ( Passerina amoena ) is a North American songbird named for the gemstone lapis lazuli.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/bd7e3634-a1fb-4309-85a5-d5c4250bcc28
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/10234
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passerina amoena
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/189925731/medium.jpg (Pat Farris, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.