Painted Bunting
Painted BuntingPainted BuntingPainted BuntingPainted Bunting

Painted Bunting

Passerina ciris

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Saguaro National Park
97 Verified sightings at Saguaro National Park From 2019 to 2026
3,187 Verified sightings across all 49 parks From 2019 to 2026
August Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Painted Bunting

The painted bunting (Passerina ciris) is a species of bird in the cardinal family, Cardinalidae. It is native to North America. The bright plumage of the male develops beginning in the second year of life; in the first year, they can be distinguished from the female only by close inspection.

The painted bunting was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Emberiza ciris. Linnaeus based his account mainly on the "Painted Finch" that had been described and illustrated in 1730 by the English naturalist Mark Catesby in his book The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands. Linnaeus specified the type locality as America but this was restricted to the state of South Carolina by the American Ornithologists' Union in 1931. The specific epithet ciris is the Latin name for a mythical bird, from Ancient Greek κειρις/keiris for an unidentified bird. The painted bunting is now one of seven species placed in the genus Passerina that was introduced in 1816 by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot.

Two subspecies are recognised: P. c. ciris (Linnaeus, 1758) –... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Saguaro National Park

Lazuli Bunting
LC

Lazuli Bunting

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Passerina amoena

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Blue Grosbeak
LC

Blue Grosbeak

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Passerina caerulea

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Varied Bunting
LC

Varied Bunting

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Passerina versicolor

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Indigo Bunting
LC

Indigo Bunting

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Passerina cyanea

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Northern Cardinal
LC Endemic

Northern Cardinal

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cardinalis cardinalis

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Pyrrhuloxia
LC

Pyrrhuloxia

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cardinalis sinuatus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Western Tanager
LC

Western Tanager

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Piranga ludoviciana

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Summer Tanager
LC

Summer Tanager

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Piranga rubra

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Black-headed Grosbeak
LC

Black-headed Grosbeak

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Pheucticus melanocephalus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Dickcissel
LC

Dickcissel

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Spiza americana

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
LC

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Pheucticus ludovicianus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Hepatic Tanager
LC

Hepatic Tanager

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Piranga flava

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
2 Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~20%
3 El Triunfo 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
4 Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
5 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
6 Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
7 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
8 Cañón del Sumidero National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
9 Las Baulas Marine National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
10 Lago de Yojoa 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
11 Congaree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
12 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
13 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
14 Pico Bonito National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
15 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
16 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
17 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
18 Ostional Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
19 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
<5%
20 Guadalupe Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
21 Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
22 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
23 Palo Verde National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
24 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
25 El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
26 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
27 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
28 Masaya Volcano National Park 🇳🇮 Nicaragua
<5%
29 Ciénaga de Zapata 🇨🇺 Cuba
<5%
30 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
31 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
32 Saguaro National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
33 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
34 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
35 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
36 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data
37 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
38 Cusuco National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
Insufficient data
39 La Tigra National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
Insufficient data
40 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
41 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
42 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
43 Zion National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
44 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
45 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
46 Death Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
47 Joshua Tree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
48 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
49 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Painted Bunting in Saguaro National Park?

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Painted Bunting sighting in Saguaro National Park, based on 97 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Painted Bunting in Saguaro National Park?

August has the highest sighting rate for Painted Bunting in Saguaro National Park in our monthly data.

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