Rose-bellied bunting

Rose-bellied bunting

Rosita's bunting

Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Passerina rositae

The rose-bellied bunting or Rosita's bunting (Passerina rositae ) is a species of bird in the family Cardinalidae, the cardinals or cardinal grosbeaks. It is endemic to a very small area of southern Mexico.

Appearance

The rose-bellied bunting is 13.5 to 14.5 cm (5.3 to 5.7 in) long and weighs 19.5 to 20.5 g (0.69 to 0.72 oz). The adult male's crown is purplish-blue, and it is electric blue on the rest of its upperparts that fades from darker to lighter towards the tail. Its chin is grayish, the throat and chest blue, and the belly and vent area salmon pink. The adult female's head and upperparts are gray-brown with a bluish tinge at the rump. Its undersides are pinkish buff, warmer on the throat becoming paler towards the lower belly.

Distribution

Geography

Continents
Countries
Biogeographical realms

The rose-bellied bunting's core range is a narrow strip along the Pacific slope of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in eastern Oaxaca and western Chiapas. There is one additional record further east in Chiapas, in El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve. It inhabits arid to semiarid thorn forest, moister gallery forest, and swamp forest. In elevation it ranges from 180 to 800 m (590 to 2,620 ft).

Rose-bellied bunting habitat map

Biome

Rose-bellied bunting habitat map
Rose-bellied bunting
Public Domain Dedication (CC0)

Habits and Lifestyle

Lifestyle
Seasonal behavior
Bird's call

Diet and Nutrition

The rose-bellied bunting forages alone or in pairs in the lower to mid-level of its habitat. Its diet consists of seeding grasses and fruit from trees and bushes.

Mating Habits

Two rose-bellied bunting nests have been described. One found in late July had freshly laid eggs, the other had eggs well along in incubation in late June. The nests were open cups of dead leaves and bark lined with finer material; they were placed in crotches of small saplings. One clutch had three eggs and the other four. No other information about the species' breeding phenology has been published.

Population

Population number

The IUCN has assessed the rose-bellied bunting as Near Threatened "because it has a small range, which may be in decline owing to habitat degradation and infrastructure development."

References

1. Rose-bellied bunting Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose-bellied_bunting
2. Rose-bellied bunting on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22723960/180173572
3. Xeno-canto bird call - https://xeno-canto.org/694349

More Fascinating Animals to Learn About