LAZULI BUNTING

Passerina amoena

Status: Uncommon regular spring and fall migrant west and central, rare east. Uncommon regular breeder west, rare casual north.

Documentation: Specimen: UNSM ZM10346, 11 Jul 1910 Glen, Sioux Co.

Taxonomy: No subspecies are recognized (Pyle 1997).

This species and Indigo Bunting hybridize; for a discussion see the Lazuli x Indigo Bunting (hybrid) species account.

Spring: Apr 28, 28, 29 <<<>>> May 27, 27, 27

An earlier date is 22 Apr 1990 Dundy Co (Grzybowski 1990).

Last dates above are away from known breeding areas. Later dates are 30 May 1997 Richardson Co, 1 Jun 2009 Dixon Co, 2 Jun 2015 Nuckolls Co, and 5 Jun 2001 Knox Co.

Migrants arrive in early May.

Migrants have been reported statewide; reports from the east have increased since 2000; in all, there are about 92 such reports 28 Apr-5 Jun, over half since 2013. Earliest are from Lancaster Co, 28 Apr 2022, 29 Apr 1992, and 30 Apr 2005, and latest 27 May 2005 Dixon Co, two videographed on 27 May 2015 at Omaha, two in Burt Co 27 May 2019,

In 2020, there were 11 reports in the east 2-25 May, all of single birds.

• High counts: 19 in Carter Canyon, Scotts Bluff Co 5 Jun 2020, 16 near Chadron, Dawes Co 24 May 2022, and 14 at Buffalo Creek Pond, Banner Co 21 May 2021.
• A “wave” of 8 was in Adams Co 24 May 1938 (Staley 1938).

Summer: Currently, breeding is probably restricted to the Pine Ridge in Sioux and Dawes Cos, the Wildcat Hills and Scotts Bluff NM areas in Scotts Bluff Co, and Bighorn Escarpment in Scotts Bluff and Banner Cos, and possibly the Niobrara Valley Preserve, Brown Co.

Although Johnsgard (1980) stated that Lazuli Bunting bred east to eastern Cherry Co, there are no recent breeding season reports between the Pine Ridge and eastern Cherry Co, suggesting that Lazuli Buntings breeding in the Niobrara Valley Reserve, if they continue to occur here, are disjunct and may be at risk of extirpation by genetic swamping by Indigo Bunting. Brogie and Mossman (1983) found several singing male Lazulis, albeit outnumbered 40:1 by Indigos, and considered Lazuli Buntings to have “certainly nested” in the preserve (Mossman and Brogie 1983). Ed Brogie found a nest with eggs as far east as Hoskins, Wayne Co 10 Jul 1977 (Mollhoff 2022).  Mollhoff (2001) showed summer occurrences in Keya Paha/Brown Cos in the period 1984-89. There are recent reports there 19 Jun 2015 and of three on 28 Jun 2015. One was in Cherry Co 28 Jul 2009, and singles were at Valentine NWR 3 Jul 2015 and at Fort Niobrara NWR 8 Jul 2008. One was about three miles east of Niobrara, Knox Co 5 Jun-3 Jul 2001, and one was found on a BBS route in Knox and Antelope Cos between 1967 and 1977.

An old easterly report of possible breeding is of a male at Hastings, Adams Co 18 May 1935 that was joined by a female; on 4 Jun, four males and two females were present (Swenk 1935). Brooking collected eggs (HMM #2268) from a nest at Spring Branch, Clay Co 23 Jun 1915 (Mollhoff 2022).

Elsewhere, there are scattered nesting season (Jun-Jul) reports, none accompanied by evidence of nesting. One was in Thomas Co Jun 2008. At Crescent Lake NWR, Garden Co there are four reports 2-17 Jun that are likely migrants, although one was there 1 Jul 1977. There are several reports in Keith Co that might indicate breeding: at Lake Ogallala 2 Jun 2007, 7 Jun 2011, 8 Jun 2011, and 17 Jun 2001, for Keith Co Jul-Aug 1977 (Rosche and Johnsgard 1984), 21 Jul 2016, and territorial singing males 5 Jul 1987 and 25 Jul 1984 (Rosche 1994). In Lincoln Co there are several reports also: 30 Jun 1965, 30 Jun 1966, 22 Jun 2003, and one singing 8 Jul and 19 Jul 2010. One was at Bridgeport SRA, Morrill Co 18 Jun 2023, one at Oliver Reservoir, Kimball Co 22 Jun 2023, and one at Red Willow Reservoir, Frontier Co 15 Jul 2010.

In addition, there are reports from Chase Co 4 Jul 1989, 1-2 on 13-18 Jun 2009, 12 Jun 2013, and during the second breeding bird atlas 2006-2011 there were reports in Chase, Dundy, and Hitchcock Cos (Mollhoff 2016). Mollhoff (2001) showed summer occurrences in Furnas and Custer Cos in the period 1984-89.

Reports in summer in the east are not expected and are probably overshoot spring migrants; these are 5 Jun 1962 Platte Co, 11 Jun 1976 Douglas-Sarpy Cos, 19 Jun 1983 Otoe Co, 19 Jun 2004 York Co, and 2 Aug 2004 a singing male in Dixon Co.

• Breeding phenology:
  Eggs:23 Jun- 10 Jul (Mollhoff 2022)
  Fledglings: 19 Jul-1 Aug
• High Count: 14 at Buffalo Creek WMA, Scotts Bluff Co 23 Jun 2023, 13 at Carter Canyon, Scotts Bluff Co 13 Jun 2022, 11 along Old Stage Road, Scotts Bluff Co 14 Jun 2021, and 11 at Ponderosa WMA, Dawes Co 8 Jul 2023.

Fall: summer <<<>>> Oct 4, 4, 4

Later dates tend to be easterly; these are 6 Oct 2019 Douglas Co, 10 Oct 1975 Sarpy Co “excellent details” (Williams 1976), and 13 Oct 1916, a male specimen, HMM 2829, taken at Inland, Clay Co.

There are few reports in fall away from breeding areas other than those cited above: 6 Jul 1977 Wayne Co, 8 Jul 2009 Lincoln Co, 15 Jul 2010 Frontier Co, 15 Jul 2023 Hitchcock Co, 9 Aug 2020 Dundy Co, and 1 Oct 2016 Loup Co,

Departure begins in Jul-Aug and is usually completed by late Sep.

Lazuli Bunting begins fall molt on the breeding grounds but suspends it to undertake a molt migration to the southwest USA, where the molt it is completed (Greene et al 2020).

High counts: 22 in East Ash Canyon, Dawes Co 5 Sep 2015, 6 at Oliver Reservoir, Kimball Co 19 Aug 2021, 5 at Wind Springs Ranch, Scotts Bluff Co, 25 Aug 2001, and 5 at Wright’s Gap Road, Scotts Bluff Co 4 and 12 Aug 2018.

Images

Abbreviations

BBS: Breeding Bird Survey
HMM: Hastings Municipal Museum
NC: Nature Center
NWR: National Wildlife Refuge
SHP: State Historical Park
SP: State Park
UNSM: University of Nebraska State Museum
WMA: Wildlife Management Area (State)

Literature Cited

American Ornithologists’ Union [AOU]. 1983. The AOU Check-list of North American birds, 6th ed. Allen Press, Lawrence, Kansas, USA.

Baker, M.C., and J.T. Boylan. 1999. Singing behavior, mating associations and reproductive success in a population of hybridizing Lazuli and Indigo Buntings. Condor 101: 493-504.

Brogie, M.A., and M.J. Mossman. 1983. Spring and summer birds of the Niobrara Valley Preserve, Nebraska: An annotated checklist. NBR 51: 44-51.

Brown, C.R., M.B. Brown, P.A. Johnsgard, J. Kren, and W.C. Scharf. 1996. Birds of the Cedar Point Biological Station area, Keith and Garden Counties, Nebraska: Seasonal occurrence and breeding data. Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences 23: 91-108.

Brown, C.R., and M.B. Brown. 2001. Birds of the Cedar Point Biological Station. Occasional Papers of the Cedar Point Biological Station, No. 1.

Carling, M.D., and B. Zuckerberg. 2011. Spatio-temporal changes in the genetic structure of the Passerina bunting hybrid zone. Molecular Ecology 20: 1166-1175.

Emlen, S.T., J.D. Rising, and W.L. Thompson. 1975. A behavioral and morphological study of sympatry in the Indigo and Lazuli Buntings of the Great Plains. Wilson Bulletin 87: 145-177.

Greene, E., V.R. Muehter, and W. Davison. 2020. Lazuli Bunting (Passerina amoena), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (A. F. Poole, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.lazbun.01.

Grzybowski, J.A. 1990. Southern Great Plains Region. American Birds 44: 454-457.

Johnsgard, P.A. 1979. Birds of the Great Plains: breeding species and their distribution. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.

Johnsgard, P. A. 1980. A preliminary list of the birds of Nebraska and adjacent Great Plains states. Published by the author, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, USA.

Kroodsma, R.L. 1975. Hybridization in buntings (Passerina) in North Dakota and eastern Montana. Auk 92: 66-80.

Mayr, E., and L.L. Short. 1970. Species taxa of North American birds, a contribution to avian systematics. Publications of the Nuttall Ornithological Club, No. 9. Nuttall Ornithological Club, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

Mollhoff, W.J. 2001. The Nebraska Breeding Bird Atlas 1984-1989. Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union Occasional Papers No. 7. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.

Mollhoff, W.J. 2016. The Second Nebraska Breeding Bird Atlas. Bull. Univ. Nebraska State Museum Vol 29. University of Nebraska State Museum, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.

Mollhoff, W.J. 2022. Nest records of Nebraska birds. Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union Occasional Paper Number 9.

Mossman, M.J., and M.A. Brogie. 1983. Breeding Status of selected bird species on the Niobrara Valley Preserve, Nebraska. NBR 51: 52-62.

Pyle, P. 1997. Identification Guide to North American Birds. Part I, Columbidae to Ploceidae. Slate Creek Press, Bolinas, California, USA.

Rosche, R.C. 1982. Birds of northwestern Nebraska and southwestern South Dakota, an annotated checklist. Cottonwood Press, Crawford, Nebraska, USA.

Rosche, R.C. 1994. Birds of the Lake McConaughy area and the North Platte River valley, Nebraska. Published by the author, Chadron, Nebraska, USA.

Rosche, R.C., and P.A. Johnsgard. 1984. Birds of Lake McConaughy and the North Platte River Valley, Oshkosh to Keystone. NBR 52: 26-35.

Short, L.L., Jr. 1961. Notes on bird distribution in the central Plains. NBR 29: 2-22.

Sibley, C.G., and B.L. Monroe, Jr. 1990. Distribution and taxonomy of birds of the world. Yale University Press, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.

Sibley, C.G., and L.L. Short, Jr. 1959. Hybridization in the buntings (Passerina) of the Great Plains. Auk 76: 443-463.

Staley, A.H. 1938. A wave of migrating Lazuli Buntings at Hastings, Adams Co. NBR 6: 32.

Swenk, M.H. 1935. The 1935 Migration Season [Spring 1935]. NBR 3: 87-113.

Williams, F. 1976. Southern Great Plains Region. American Birds 30: 90-95.

Recommended Citation

Silcock, W.R., and J.G. Jorgensen. 2023. Lazuli Bunting (Passerina amoena). In Birds of Nebraska — Online. www.BirdsofNebraska.org

Birds of Nebraska – Online

Updated 26 Sep 2023