CreatureData

Varied bunting

Passerina versicolor (Bonaparte, 1838)

LCLeast Concernsongbirds

The varied bunting (Passerina versicolor) is a species in the family Cardinalidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 12.8 g to 13 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Varied bunting (Passerina versicolor)
Photo: ALAN SCHMIERER from near Patagonia, AZ, USA · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the varied bunting

Weight
12.9 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Omnivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
shrublandsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
3.5src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Generalistsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Photos of the varied bunting

Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.

Varied bunting (Passerina versicolor)
panza.rayada · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Where does the varied bunting live?

Not recorded

What is the varied bunting?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

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.

From the Wikipedia article “Varied bunting” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Varied_bunting&oldid=1380604936), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the varied bunting endangered?

The varied bunting is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.

How is the varied bunting classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familyCardinalidae
  6. genusPasserina
  7. SpeciesPasserina versicolor (Bonaparte, 1838)

Synonyms Cyanospiza versicolor, Spiza versicolor

Other names and names in other languages (35)
  • عصفور الراية المتغيرArabic
  • cardenal indi violaciCatalan
  • papežík mnohobarvýCzech
  • Bras AmrywiolWelsh
  • Mangefarvet FinkeDanish
  • VielfarbenfinkGerman
  • Vielfarben-FinkenammerGerman
  • diverskolora kardinaloEsperanto
  • Colorín moradoSpanish
  • Azulillo moradoSpanish
  • purppurakardinaaliFinnish
  • Passerin variéFrench
  • Gealóg ildathachIrish
  • meksički batačCroatian
  • sokszínű pintyHungarian
  • Zigolo varioItalian
  • ムラサキノジコJapanese
  • spalvingoji startenėLithuanian
  • daudzkrāsu stērsteLatvian
  • VeelkleurengorsDutch
  • purpurspurvNorwegian
  • łuszczyk tęczowyPolish
  • mariposa-escuraPortuguese
  • cardeal-multicolorPortuguese
  • mariposa-escuroPortuguese
  • Разноцветный колоринRussian
  • Многоцветный овсянковый кардиналRussian
  • pápežík farbistýSlovak
  • Višebojna strnadicaSerbian
  • brokfinkSwedish
  • purpurkardinalSwedish
  • Değişken Renkli ÇinteTurkish
  • скригнатка пурпуроваUkrainian
  • 杂色彩鹀Chinese
  • 雜色彩鵐Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the varied bunting

Other species in the same genus Passerina.

CompareVaried bunting vs Indigo buntingVaried bunting vs Painted buntingVaried bunting vs Blue grosbeakVaried bunting vs Lazuli bunting

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the varied bunting?

An adult varied bunting weighs 12.9 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the varied bunting endangered?

The varied bunting is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the varied bunting?

The varied bunting (Passerina versicolor) belongs to the family Cardinalidae in the order Passeriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Varied bunting (Passerina versicolor). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/varied-bunting

MLA

“Varied bunting (Passerina versicolor).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/varied-bunting.

BibTeX
@misc{varied_bunting_2026,
  title = {Varied bunting (Passerina versicolor)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/varied-bunting},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}