Lazuli Bunting

Lazuli Bunting

Passerina amoena

Silhouette: Jonah Duckles · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%

318 Verified sightings at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks From 2019 to 2026
3,134 In all 20 parks
May Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Lazuli Bunting

The lazuli bunting (Passerina amoena) is a North American songbird named for the gemstone lapis lazuli. Measurements: Length: 5.1–5.9 in (13–15 cm) Weight: 0.5–0.6 oz (13–18 g) Wingspan: 8.7 in (22 cm) The male is easily recognized by its bright blue head and back (lighter than the closely related indigo bunting), its conspicuous white wingbars, and its light rusty breast and white belly. The color pattern may suggest the eastern and western bluebirds, but the smaller size (13–15 cm or 5–5.9 inches long), wingbars, and short and conical bunting bill quickly distinguish it. The female is brown, grayer above and warmer underneath, told from the female indigo bunting by two thin and pale wingbars and other plumage details.

The song is a high, rapid, strident warble, similar to that of the indigo bunting but longer and with less repetition. Lazuli buntings breed mostly west of the 100th meridian from southern Canada to northern Texas, central New Mexico and Arizona, and southern California. On the Pacific coast their breeding range extends south to extreme northwestern Baja California. They migrate to southeastern Arizona and... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song0:15

United States · 2026

© Ed Pandolfino · XC1139596 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:36

United States · 2022

© Paul Marvin · XC717623 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Flight call0:19

Mexico · 2019

© Richard E. Webster · XC465576 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
2 Cabo Pulmo National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
3 Zion National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
4 Death Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
5 Yosemite National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
6 Glacier National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
7 Grand Teton National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
8 Saguaro National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
9 Bahía de Loreto National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
10 Yellowstone National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
11 Redwood National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
12 Cumbres de Monterrey National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
13 Grand Canyon National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
14 Joshua Tree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
15 Guadalupe Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
16 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
17 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
18 Badlands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
19 El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
20 Rocky Mountain National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Salt Lake City 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
2 Mesa 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
3 Los Angeles 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
4 Las Vegas 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
5 Portland 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
6 Sacramento 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
7 Guadalajara 🇲🇽 México
<5%
8 Denver 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
9 Phoenix 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
10 Vancouver 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Xcaret 🇲🇽 Mexico In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Lazuli Bunting in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Lazuli Bunting sighting in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks on a given day, based on 318 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 46th most-seen of the 152 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Lazuli Bunting in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks?

April to June

In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Lazuli Bunting in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks on a given day, against under 5% in September to March, the lowest months. Those are among Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks's driest months, with about 45 mm of rain a month against 190 mm in January.

What time of day is best to see a Lazuli Bunting?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Lazuli 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.

Is Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks the best place to see a Lazuli Bunting?

Yes

Of the 20 parks where we can rate Lazuli Bunting sightings, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Cabo Pulmo National Park (Mexico, about 10%) and Zion National Park (United States, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Lazuli Bunting live in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks?

Same family: Cardinalidae

The closest relatives of the Lazuli Bunting that you can see in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (family Cardinalidae, Cardinals and Allies) are Western Tanager (about 30%) and Black-headed Grosbeak (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Lazuli Bunting sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Lazuli Bunting is recorded against all the birds logged in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (318 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.

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