The buntings represent a diverse family in the order of the passerines, or perching bird family. The migratory birds are found on all continents of the world with the exception of Australia and Antarctica. Buntings have around 200 different species, 36 of which live in Costa Rica. The small to medium-sized birds can grow to be 4 to 10 inches long, with the males usually being slightly larger.
Many of the buntings have a brown to gray basic color but the females are usually a little less contrasting than their male counterparts. Many of the species have a similar external shape despite the different lifestyles of spending time on the ground or in the trees. Like almost all seed eaters, buntings have pointed and conical beaks to easily break open hard seeds, insect shells, or even crustaceans.
Buntings feel particularly at home in open grassy landscapes but they are also at home at the edges of forests and in agricultural areas. They are songbirds with the male singing to mark his territory and to attract females. The subspecies usually have simpler songs but there are buntings with more sonorous melodies. Using their songs the buntings can communicate with each other and stay in touch with their young.
Many buntings are monogamous and stay with the same mate for life. The breeding season is precisely tailored to the time when the greatest food supply is available. Since there is a fairly high mortality rate among the young birds, the buntings often breed several times a year. The female usually lays three to five eggs in the open nests near the ground. While the female incubates, the male feeds her. The young birds are ready to leave the nest just 9 to 12 days after hatching.
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