Bunting WESTERN BIRDS 



thickets. They seem to like the dry mustard seeds that 

 are so abundant in southern California. 



GENUS PASSERINA: LAZULI 

 BUNTING. 



Lazuli Bunting: Passerina ameena. 

 FAMILY— FINCHES, SPARROWS, ETC. 



The Indigo Bunting is not seen on the Pacific Coast 

 but in its place is a similar bird that is even handsomer. 

 This bird breeds from western North Dakota south to 

 southern California and southwestern Texas, wintering in 

 Mexico. 



It is a frequenter of brush-covered foothills and can- 

 yons, straying, however, as high as 7500 feet. The birds 

 are rare enough in Los Angeles to make the sight of one 

 a treat, indeed. As a male dashes past you and you 

 behold the dazzlingly beautiful turquoise blue head and 

 neck, the green-blue uppers, reddish-brown breast, and 

 broad white wing bars, you pronounce him the most 

 beautiful of birds and wish that his tribe was more 

 abundant. 



The adult female has soft brown uppers, with blue on 

 the rump. The back is sometimes streaked, the under 

 parts are a warm cream, and the wing bars are dingy. 

 The young are similar but lack the blue rump, and often 

 the chest and sides are streaked. 



The male Lazuli has a pleasing little song which re- 

 sembles that of the Indigo, and like that bird, is given 

 frequently and with much vigor. 



The nest is usually placed low in a bush, weed tangle, 

 or tree near water, or moisture. 



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