Orange-Breasted Buntings

[Sunbay]

Here are some of our Orange-Breasted Buntings. (Passerina leclancherii)
First off, I did LOTS of research, and asked many questions. They are legal to have in the US, and are not a CITES species. A species of "Least Concern", native to Mexico. (many other bunting species are US migratory birds, and are NOT legal to possess).

They are about the size of a large canary. They are FLIGHTY, and take a while to settle in. They require lots of flying space. Diet is seed, insects, and the occasional apple.

Very cool, beautiful birds! Have not seen them in the US in over a decade.

Enjoy!

[fireblade]

Beautiful bird, thanks for sharing.

[debbie276]

Absolutely gorgeous!!
Thanks for sharing

[Sam007]

Very beautiful!

[Sally]

Gorgeous birds! You have such a wonderful collection of finches and softbills. Thanks for sharing these photos.

[lovezebs]

Sunbay

Beautiful birds, Lauren. Where did you get them from? Are they wild caught?

Elana

[Sunbay]

They are listed on softbillsforsale.com
I had a smooth transaction with the seller. He waits for even a cashiers check to clear, but as soon as it did, the birds were sent, in a nice shipping box.

He says they are cage-bred, here in the States, but, they are not banded.
I have no idea who the breeder might be.

[MiaCarter]

Wow! Gorgeous!!
They are so beautiful.

I've never seen one of these in person. They're hard to come by.

I had lots of sparrows, buntings, chickadees and other small birds when I did wildlife rehab. The little ones were always amongst my favorites. They always have a big personality packed into a tiny body!

[vienneparis]

Sunbay
Lauren, He's gorgeous. You're lucky to have him.
I've hoped to see some buntings in my back yard, but no luck so far.
May I ask how much these buntings are going for?

[Sunbay]

They are $400 - $500 per pair.

Which, apparently is a "good price". LOL - tell that to my bank account!

[vienneparis]

It's all relative I guess. My bank account wouldn't like it though

[Colt]

Beautiful birds Lauren. Thanks for sharing. Are the hens pretty drab like a Painted Bunting hen? I don't think I've seen photos of one. I know Su says her hens are much more shy than the males.

[jamezyboo21]

Neat looking bird...I love the colors!

[Rox]

Lauren, I am green with jealousy over here!!! Gosh, they are absolutely spectacular

Good luck with them!

[Colt]

Sunbay - As these are pretty recent imports, I'm assuming there isn't much info on breeding them in captivity. How do you think you'll go about doing that?