Painted Bunting Courtship Dance

Male painted buntings have such gorgeous colors, which they put to good use to impress the ladies. They sing to establish territories and impress females, and when one pays attention, he shows his worthiness in a courtship dance, fluttering and displaying that rich plumage until she signifies her interest by dancing too. He fluffs up his chest, dancing around her and raising his wing feathers, lifting himself up in what seems like slow motion but this time he seems to miss the landing, at which point they seem to ignore one another. Nonetheless, we’ll keep our eye out for signs of nesting in the backyard, and we’ll keep the feeder full.