GiGi Amateau

April 2008

What I'm Thinking About

The painted bunting is on my mind! I hope this gorgeous male awaits me in Dallas later this month. Mid-April I'll be visiting the extraordinary librarians of the great state of Texas. I hope to sneak off for a few hours to look for this lovely bird. I might be a tad bit early for the most colorful of finches, but then I hear lots of birds are arriving early around the country this year.

Like many species, the painted bunting is on the decline.The male of this species is often captured and sold as a caged bird in other countries and habitat loss has probably also contributed to its decline.

Read up on the painted bunting here: www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/ Painted_Bunting.html