The Painted Bunting breeds in the south-central U.S. from the southern Mississippi Valley west to Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico, and along the Atlantic Coast from North Carolina south to central Florida (Lowther et al. 1999). This species winters in southern Florida and southern Mexico (Sibley 2014). In Montana, the Painted Bunting has a few records with only one record in the past decade (Montana Bird Distribution Committee 2012).
For a comprehensive review of the conservation status, habitat use, and ecology of this and other Montana bird species, please see
Marks et al. 2016, Birds of Montana.
Direct Evidence of Breeding
Indirect Evidence of Breeding