- Painted Buntings are regular late summer and fall migrants in southeast Arizona - Unlike most songbirds, the western population of Painted Buntings practices "molt migration," meaning they travel from their south-central U.S. breeding grounds to staging areas in southern Arizona and northwest Mexico specifically to molt their feathers before continuing south to Central America for the winter - Because they love weedy, dense thickets near water or desert washes, look for them at these known regional staging sites ... = Tucson: Sweetwater Wetlands, Agua Caliente Park, and the Tanque Verde Wash = Santa Cruz River Corridor: The stretch from Tubac down to the Mexican border is highly active = Arivaca Lake: A highly reliable and famous location for fall migrants = San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area: Look along the brushy edges of the riverbanks