"A-(Painted) Bunting We Will Go"

Sometimes the land offers a gift so bright it hardly seems real.

Chipco Preserve has confirmed the presence of at least one Painted Bunting, and perhaps even a small family. Anyone who has seen one knows why that matters. The Painted Bunting is one of Florida’s most beautiful songbirds, with colors so vivid that it looks almost hand-painted.

A painted bunting snacking at one of Chipco's birdfeeders.

The sighting inspired a playful nod to Thomas Arne’s 1777 folk song, but the real music belongs to the bird itself. Its presence on the Preserve is more than a welcome surprise. It is a reminder of why protected habitat matters.

Painted Buntings are protected in Florida, and their numbers have declined because of habitat loss and human predation. They need safe places with cover, food, and room to nest. When those places disappear, the birds disappear with them.

That makes this confirmation meaningful. A Painted Bunting at Chipco Preserve is not just a flash of color in the trees. It is a sign that the land is doing what healthy land should: sheltering life, supporting biodiversity, and providing wildlife a place to remain.

Conservation is often measured in moments like this. A song from the brush. A quick movement in the leaves. A burst of red, blue, green, and yellow where the habitat is still strong enough to hold beauty.

We are grateful to share this sighting and will continue to watch, listen, and protect the places that make moments like this possible.

For a closer look at the Painted Bunting and more information about this remarkable bird, please visit

Audubon.