Check out this beautiful bird called the Rosita’s bunting, also known as the rose-bellied bunting. It features an electric blue upper body that fades into darker shades towards the tail, with a purplish-blue head and salmon pink belly and vent area. The male also has a blue chest and throat and a greyish chin. This lovely bird measures between 3.5 to 14.5 cm in length and weighs around 19.5 to 20.5 g.
In contrast, the mature female’s head and upper body possess a gray-brown hue that leans towards bluish tones near its backside. Its chest and abdomen display a pinkish-beige shade, while its throat exudes a warmer tone, and its lower tummy appears paler.
The rose-bellied bunting is a rare bird that can only be found in a small area of the southern Pacific slope of Mexico. This bird species is commonly found in thorny scrub and semideciduous woods.
When the rose-bellied bunting is in the lower to middle parts of its environment, it usually looks for food by itself or with a partner. The bird’s diet consists mainly of grass seeds and fruit from bushes and trees.
Usually, these avian creatures are seen individually or in pairs, particularly when it’s breeding season. A couple of nests were spotted during June and July in the previous year, even though there’s no information available on their breeding or nesting habits. These nests were built using tiny weed stems, shredded bark, and lifeless foliage that were set up in an open cup configuration. One of them was put together at 1.5 meters high, while the other one was raised at 4 meters. They contained three to four eggs each.
The IUCN has classified the rose-bellied bunting as Near Threatened due to its limited range and the potential decrease in its habitat caused by infrastructure development and habitat loss.