Painted bunting surprise Thanksgiving visitor

On November 18th at 12:25 PM Linda Peterson of La Conner posted a listing of one on ebird.org that has caused a stir among Western Washington birders.

The sighting she reported was a first for La Conner - a male painted bunting (Passerina ciris).

Within hours the listserv monitored by avid birders, Tweeters, had information about the bird.

This rare, colorful bird usually occupies a territory slightly south of here - New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Georgia, Florida.

They typically winter in South Florida, Cuba and much of Central America, according to Wikipedia.

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