Painted Bunting
Passerina ciris (Linnaeus, 1758)
Photo © By Doug Janson - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6490569
STATUS
North America. Polytypic.
OVERVIEW
Species not admitted nationally (BOU 1971).
Painted Bunting was placed in category D (later D1) in 1978 on the basis of the 1972 Shetland record (Ibis 120: 409-411). The species is considered to be an unlikely natural vagrant to Britain. The Committee does not consider it likely that any of the individuals reached Britain naturally and the species is removed from category D (BOURC (1994) Ibis 136: 255).
NOT PROVEN
0). 1802 Dorset Portland, caught, undated.
(Montagu, 1813; Newman, 1866).
[Not in BOU, 1971].
History Montagu (1813) says: 'This bird was caught alive on Portland in 1802, having doubtless made its escape from some passing ship and to having seen it whilst in the possession of Mrs. Steward, of that place.'
0). Pre 1868 North-east Scotland No locality, Banffshire, obtained, undated.
(Gray, 1871).
[BOU, 1971].
History Gray (1871: 133) says: 'The Painted Bunting has occurred once in Scotland, a specimen having been procured in Banffshire, by Mr. Thomas Edward, who informed me of the circumstance about three years ago.'
0). 1868 Oxfordshire Near Banbury, obtained, May.
(Everard F. im Thurn, Field 5th June 1869: 468; Everard F. im Thurn, Field 12th June 1869: 502; Everard F. im Thurn, Zoologist 1869: 1865).
[Not in BOU, 1971; BOU, Ibis 136: 255].
History Everard F. im Thurn of Adderbury Rectory, Banbury (1869) in The Field of 5th June 1869, Vol. XXXIII. p. 468, says: 'I have to report the recent capture of several uncommon birds in this neighbourhood...I also wish to record the capture in May 1868 of a male Painted Bunting - doubtless, in this as in other cases of its occurrence in Great Britain, an escaped cage bird, though I cannot hear of anyone keeping them in confinement in this neighbourhood.'
Everard F. im Thurn of Adderbury Rectory (1869) in The Field of 12th June, Vol. XXXIII. p. 502, and in The Zoologist, 2nd series, Vol. IV. p. 1865, dated 8th June, 1869, quoting from The Field, says: 'A note of mine in your last week's issue, on the occurrence of the Painted Bunting (Spiza viris) in this neighbourhood, has called forth questions from several of my acquaintances. My offence consists in having intimated a doubt as to whether this species has ever occurred in Britain otherwise than as an escaped cage-bird. I see in the Zoologist list of birds only one instance of its occurrence mentioned. As I believe that it has occurred in Britain several times since, perhaps those of your readers who have met with specimens will let us know in what state they were, and if they showed any signs of captivity.'
