Blue Bunting
Encyclopedia
The Blue Bunting is a species of passerine
bird found in northern Central America
. Measuring 5.5 inches (14 cm) in length with a wingspan of 8.5 inches (21.6 cm), it is one of the smaller members of its genus
. Like most buntings, the Blue Bunting is sexually dimorphic. The male has a dark blue body, with brighter blue highlights on the supercilium
, forecrown, malar
region, rump
and lesser wing coverts. The female is an unstreaked warm brown, slightly paler below.
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird found in northern Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
. Measuring 5.5 inches (14 cm) in length with a wingspan of 8.5 inches (21.6 cm), it is one of the smaller members of its genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
. Like most buntings, the Blue Bunting is sexually dimorphic. The male has a dark blue body, with brighter blue highlights on the supercilium
Supercilium
The supercilium is a plumage feature found on the heads of some bird species. It is a stripe which runs from the base of the bird's beak above its eye, finishing somewhere towards the rear of the bird's head. Also known as an "eyebrow", it is distinct from the eyestripe, which is a line which runs...
, forecrown, malar
Cheek
Cheeks constitute the area of the face below the eyes and between the nose and the left or right ear. They may also be referred to as jowls. "Buccal" means relating to the cheek. In humans, the region is innervated by the buccal nerve...
region, rump
Rump (animal)
The rump or croup, in the external morphology of an animal, is the portion of the posterior dorsum that is posterior to the loins and anterior to the tail. Anatomically, the rump corresponds to the sacrum....
and lesser wing coverts. The female is an unstreaked warm brown, slightly paler below.