 Breeding evidence |
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Click on plot to view table of mean abundance
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Number of squares
Long-term BBS trends
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2.5 (1.74 - 3.3)|
Mean abundance (number of birds detected per 5 min. point count) and percentage of squares occupied by region Bird Conservation Regions [abund. plot]
[%squares plot]
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Atlas Results
Lazuli Buntings were sparsely distributed across the southern sixth of the province and were most often observed in or near riparian areas and wooded coulees. South of Wilcox, two pairs were seen near a yard, one of which was observed carrying food. This is the only confirmed breeding record for the atlas. Lazuli Buntings were detected in four out of five atlas years at two well-known locations: the Roche Percée campground near Estevan and the area around the Claybank National Historic Site to the west of Avonlea, where a pair was seen. Four detections were also made on the South Saskatchewan River, between the Alberta border and Saskatchewan Landing.
Excerpts Adapted from the Birds of Saskatchewan:
From mid-May to late July, watch for a bright flash of turquoise in the bushes as you search for birds. The western counterpart of the Indigo Bunting, the Lazuli breeds from southeastern British Columbia and southwestern Manitoba to northern Baja California and northern Texas. It winters in western Mexico.
Breeding haunts include brushy coulees, riparian thickets, and, more rarely, cultivated shrubbery in towns and cities (Limerick, Wolseley, and Moose Jaw) (Smith 1996). "It is partial to dense shrubbery on or near the ground where it can easily escape detection? (Roy 1996). Spring migrants often appear at bird feeders before dispersing to breeding habitat.
The Lazuli Bunting is generally a rare and local summer resident of the grasslands and adjacent parklands, but it can be fairly common in the extreme southwest and along the Big Muddy, lower Souris, and central Qu'Appelle Valleys (Smith 1996) and the Dirt Hills (ARS). Casual reports are from as far north as Maidstone (Gollop 1982b), Doré Lake (SBDB), Holbein, and Good Spirit Lake (William Anaka).
Original text by Norris Currie. Text adapted by Daniel J. Sawatzky
Read more about the Lazuli Bunting in the Birds of Saskatchewan here.
Recommended citation: Latremouille, L. M. 2025. Lazuli Bunting in Latremouille, L. M., S. L. Van Wilgenburg, C. B. Jardine, D. Lepage, A. R. Couturier, D. Evans, D. Iles, and K. L. Drake (eds.). 2025. The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Saskatchewan, 2017-2021. Birds Canada. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan https://sk.birdatlas.ca/accounts/speciesaccount.jsp?sp=LAZB&lang=en [09 Nov 2025]
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