Why an Eastern Painted Bunting survey? The eastern population of
this colorful neotropical migrant breeds in coastal and barrier
island habitats of Georgia, Florida, and the Carolinas, and
returns to South Florida, the Caribbean, and Mexico during
winter. The Breeding Bird Survey and other monitoring
effortsshow Painted Buntings declining, presumably in response
to human encroachment and landscape alteration, caged bird
trading, and other factors. But these surveys are insufficient
in tracking the eastern population in its narrow and limited
breeding range. Read results of research on breeding ground
requirements. Because of declines and limited range, eastern
populations are believed to be highly threatened. The U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service recently declared Painted Bunting as a
focal species to receive targeted conservation attention. A
partnership of Federal, State and private organizations is
working collaboratively to address the conservation needs of
Painted Buntings, and the success of this effort hi