Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris), Sweetwater, Pima County

This Painted Bunting was discovered and photographed by Bob Beatson on 28 November 2009.

Rare early fall transient, casual after early October.  While the pattern of migrants in Arizona suggests that fall migrants are wild birds, Painted Bunting is a common cage bird in Mexico and it is impossible to know if birds outside the usual dates are escapes or not.

Bright green finch is unmistakable.

28 November 2009, photo by Bob Beatson

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