The lazuli bunting (Passerina amoena Say) is a small bird of western North America. The male's head and back are a really outta-control shade of blue, which is where it gets its name.

Buntings are in the finch family, which, among other things, means they eat seeds. They like to live at clearings and in grassy areas.

The first time I saw a lazuli bunting was in City Creek Canyon, a really boss park in the hills above Salt Lake City. It was in full sun, and it was a male, so it was lit up like an brilliant blue acetylene torch.