Template:POTD/2004-08-15
The Painted Bunting (Passerina cirisgenus) belongs to the Passerina group of birds in the Cardinal family Cardinalidae. Not directly related to buntings in the family Emberizidae, they are sometimes known as the North American buntings. They have short tails and short slim legs. They have smaller bills than other Cardinalidae; they mainly eat seeds in winter and insects in summer.Photo credit: U.S. National Park Service