Hello, Tweeters; We determined the Lazuli Bunting we saw was closest to the
Sibleys' version of an adult non-breeding male. But it did not look exactly
like pictured. It had a metallic blue face and throat with the black mask
between bill and covering the eye. The top of head and nape were dark gray
blending into a brown back with dark primaries and secondaries. The bottom
wingbar was buff colored like a females and the top wingbar was indistinct.
The breast and sides were a light orange wash and the belly white, and the
upper tail coverts were a bluish gray. It actually looked like a cross
between a male and a female non-breeding adult in the Sibleys guide. The
bird was Junco size. Not at all like breeding colored males I've seen in the
mountains, a very different plumage. Has anyone else seen this version of
plumage? Janna Kellogg, North Bend, WA