Rare Painted Bunting Wows Birders In Brooklyn

BROOKLYN BRIDGE PARK, NY — A stunning bird rarely seen in New York City has been delighting ornithologists in Brooklyn Bridge Park. The Painted Bunting has been spotted in the city for the past couple of days.

The visitor is a female – its bright green plumage, though still beautiful, is less spectacular than the male's with is technicolor blue, green, yellow and red.

It's been seen among a flock of finches, according to birdwatchers and the city's Parks Department.

The birds, though fairly common in the south east of the U.S., are extremely rare in the north east. A male spent weeks in Prospect Park in 2016, delighting hordes of birders with its vivid coloring.