Above, is a picture of a male and female painted bunting. These beautiful birds are making their way into our area of the southeast and will stay throughout the summer, migrating south in August. The species breeds in the south central United States and along the eastern seaboard. They like open brushlands, woods, and can also be found in hedges and yards. With the right set up, you can have them feeding at your houses. Painted buntings are particular about their habitat and generally choose to come to areas approximately half a mile from salty water. There is enough salt influence in the Cape Fear River and many of our local creeks and streams that painted buntings are able to find suitable habitats in many backyards around our region. Most painted buntings are shy and somewhat intimidated, so in order to attract them to your yard, it works best to have a caged feeder filled with their favorite food; white millet. Caged feeders work well because they allow the buntings to eat without being disturbed by the larger birds that also love white millet, such as the brown headed cow birds and grackles. The Varicraft FurStrator, pictured below, is one such feeder :

Besides being a colorful addition to your backyard, painted buntings eat insects, pollinate plants, and disperse seeds like most other songbirds. Unfortunately, painted buntings are on the decline because of habitat loss due to the rapid development along the Carolina coasts. For more information on how you can get involved in painted bunting recovery, check out PBOT.