Painted Bunting
Painted Bunting has increased: up 37% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Painted Bunting
The Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris) is a North American member of the Cardinals & Grosbeaks (Cardinalidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the forest birds.
- Size
- 4.5–8.5 in long (12–22 cm) — a medium songbird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Woodlands and forest edges, including wooded suburbs and parks.
- Diet
- Insects and spiders gleaned from foliage and bark, with seeds and berries in season.
- Range
- Recorded on 583 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 14 states, most concentrated in the West Gulf Coastal Plain / Ouachitas.
- Family
- Cardinalidae · Forest birds
Notable Painted Bunting Trends
No notable trend signals for Painted Bunting. See the full index history below.
Painted Bunting Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Painted Bunting is projected to fall about 23% by 2029 — from 1.6 in 2024 to a central estimate of 1.2 (95% range 0.54–1.9). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±24.6%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1.2 | 0.52 | 1.9 |
| 2026 | 1.2 | 0.53 | 1.9 |
| 2027 | 1.2 | 0.53 | 1.9 |
| 2028 | 1.2 | 0.53 | 1.9 |
| 2029 | 1.2 | 0.54 | 1.9 |
Where the Painted Bunting Is Detected
BBS routes recording Painted Bunting, sized by most recent count.
Painted Bunting Population Trend by State
| Alabama | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| Arkansas | +48% | 1969 | 50 |
| Florida | -86% | 1969 | 14 |
| Georgia | -63% | 1968 | 31 |
| Kansas | +716% | 1971 | 24 |
| Louisiana | -8% | 1969 | 93 |
| Mississippi | -34% | 1968 | 37 |
| Missouri | -13% | 2005 | 6 |
| New Mexico | +63% | 2005 | 5 |
| North Carolina | -78% | 1968 | 5 |
| Oklahoma | +28% | 1969 | 63 |
| South Carolina | -24% | 1968 | 24 |
| Tennessee | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Texas | -13% | 1969 | 226 |
Painted Bunting Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Shortgrass Prairie | -88% | 1969 | 20 |
| Central Mixed Grass Prairie | +378% | 1969 | 60 |
| Edwards Plateau | -5% | 1969 | 20 |
| Oaks and Prairies | +24% | 1969 | 74 |
| Eastern Tallgrass Prairie | +28% | 1969 | 21 |
| Central Hardwoods | +35% | 1969 | 21 |
| West Gulf Coastal Plain / Ouachitas | -44% | 1969 | 96 |
| Mississippi Alluvial Valley | +35% | 1968 | 60 |
| Southeastern Coastal Plain | -30% | 1968 | 91 |
| Peninsular Florida | -81% | 1971 | 9 |
| Chihuahuan Desert | +74% | 1969 | 31 |
| Tamaulipan Brushlands | -30% | 1969 | 28 |
| Gulf Coastal Prairie | +2% | 1969 | 46 |
Painted Bunting Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 37% since 1968.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.