Spilled Paint

(Painted Bunting)

What was Mother Nature thinking? I’m guessing nothing at all. Rather, in a rare clumsy move, she spilled her tray of pigments all over a little brown bird and the Painted Bunting was born.

During a long stay in Texas years ago, I searched and searched for one of these guys in mature, bright plumage. At the time, I drove a beige Volkswagen Beetle with a sun roof. It made a great portable blind. I’d find likely spots and sit and wait and watch. I never found one during those long vigils, but I witnessed lots of armadillos, Road Runners, and enormous Jack Rabbits—Nature’s true big foot. So it was time well spent.

Joan, my sister-in-law, found her first PB last year and sent a picture she captured. I was as excited as she, and I set about my rendition of the flamboyant bird.

The males attain their prime plumage late in their second year. Astoundingly, the experts say the combination of bright colors not only stands out to other Painted Buntings, but paradoxically, acts as camouflage for predators. The blue head, for example, may be invisible to many predators that are unable to perceive the color.