Male and female Lazuli Buntings in Oregon are most vibrant in their breeding season (spring and summer). Lazuli Buntings are a common and beautiful summer resident in Oregon, favoring brushy areas, open woodlands with scattered shrubs, regenerating clearcuts, and riparian zones.

Male Lazuli Bunting (Breeding Plumage - Spring/Summer in Oregon:
Head and Upperparts: The most striking feature is their brilliant, iridescent sky-blue head and upperparts. This blue is particularly vibrant in good light, where it can seem to glow.
Back: The back is generally the same bright blue as the head, but it can sometimes show some dusky streaking or a brownish wash, particularly if the feathers are slightly worn.
Breast: A distinct band of rusty cinnamon or rich chestnut across the breast. This color often extends slightly down the flanks, fading into white.
Belly: The lower belly and undertail coverts are clean white.
Wings: Dark brownish-black with two prominent white wing bars. These wing bars are usually quite broad and clean.
Tail: Dark brownish-black with no white spots.
Bill: A small, conical, dark gray bill, with the lower mandible often appearing paler (silvery or bluish-gray).
Song: Males sing a cheerful, variable, and often rapid series of high-pitched notes, frequently described as "sweet-sweet-chew-chew-sweet-sweet." The song varies in tempo and pitch, making it hard to predict exactly but recognizable by its overall quality. They often sing from an exposed perch.

Female Lazuli Bunting (Breeding Plumage - Spring/Summer in Oregon):
Overall Color: Females are much more subdued and cryptic than males, primarily a mix of browns, buffs, and dull blues.
Head and Upperparts: The head and back are generally a plain, warm light brown or grayish-brown. They usually have a faint, dull bluish wash on the rump and sometimes on the crown, but it's never the vibrant blue of the male.
Underparts: The throat is typically pale buffy-white. The breast is a dull, pale buff or very faint cinnamon, often with a subtle dusky wash, fading to whitish on the belly and undertail coverts.
Wings: Darker brown with two prominent buffy-white or dull white wing bars. These wing bars are still quite noticeable and are a key identification feature for females.
Tail: Plain brownish-black.
Bill: Similar small, conical bill, usually all dark or with a slightly paler lower mandible.
Behavior: Females are generally more secretive, especially when nesting, often staying hidden in dense shrubs.

Key Identification Points for both sexes in Oregon:
Male's Blue + Cinnamon Breast + White Belly: This combination is unique and unmistakable.
Female's Brownish Overall + Buffy Breast + Prominent White Wing Bars: While plain, the strong wing bars on a dull, relatively small songbird are a good clue. The subtle blue wash on the rump or crown can also be helpful.
Habitat: Look for them in areas with dense shrubs and scattered trees, such as chaparral, oak woodlands, clear-cuts, and along the edges of forests, particularly where there's plenty of brush.
Bill Shape: Like all buntings, they have a small, conical bill, though not as massive as a grosbeak's.
Song: The male's distinctive song is often the easiest way to detect their presence.

Lazuli Buntings are primarily seed-eaters, using their small, strong bills to crack open seeds. They also consume insects, especially during the breeding season. They are common summer visitors to Oregon, arriving in late April to May and departing for their wintering grounds in Mexico in September.