Passerina versicolor
Silhouette: Jonah Duckles · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The varied bunting (Passerina versicolor) is a species of songbird in the cardinal family, Cardinalidae. The range of the varied bunting stretches from the southern parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas in the United States south throughout Mexico as far as Oaxaca. Small disjunct populations occur in the state of Chiapas in Mexico and southeastern Guatemala. This stocky bird has a short tail and rounded bill. It is 11–14 centimetres (4.3–5.5 in) long, has a wingspan of 21 centimetres (8.3 in), and weighs 11–13 grams (0.39–0.46 oz). Breeding males are purple-red with a bright red patch on the nape, which becomes browner in the fall. Females are plain light brown, resembling the female indigo bunting but lacking streaking on the breast. Varied buntings inhabit deserts and xeric shrublands, preferring thorny brush thickets, thorn forests, scrubby woodlands, and overgrown clearings. They forage on the ground for insects, fruit, and seeds. Varied buntings weave open-cup nests of grass and spider webs in the outer branches of thorny shrubs, usually near water. Females lay two to five bluish-white to bluish-green eggs, which they incubate for about fourteen days. The young are fully feathered after 10 days, and are ready to leave the nest several days later. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cañón del Sumidero National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Cabo Pulmo National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 4 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 5 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Guadalupe Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | León | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 2 | Guadalajara | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 3 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Varied Bunting sighting in Big Bend National Park on a given day, based on 483 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 82nd most-seen of the 270 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May and June
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Varied Bunting in Big Bend National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to March, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Varied Bunting sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Varied Bunting sightings, Big Bend National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Cañón del Sumidero National Park (Mexico, about 20%).
Same genus: Passerina
The closest relatives of the Varied Bunting that you can see in Big Bend National Park (genus Passerina, North American Buntings) are Blue Grosbeak (about 20%) and Painted Bunting (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Varied Bunting is recorded against all the birds logged in Big Bend National Park (483 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
