His whole head looks like a brilliantly painted sword, jabbing out into the space of the page. And he looks pissed, to boot.
Green Heron
colored pencil drawing
Sword-billed Hummingbird
Now that is quite a bill! This is the only bird whose bill is longer than the rest of his body. Pinocchio’s got nothin’ on this fella.
Golden Eagle
I had fun doing the feathers around the eye area.
Great Frigate
If you love odd looking birds, then the great frigate is your man. The male frigate has a giant red puffy sack on his throat, which he inflates during mating season like a balloon. Actually, a male will inflate the “gular sac” and shake his head vigorously from side to side, attracting the attention of lady birds flying by. Which, in bird speak, is almost the equivalent of a floppy air-man used at car dealerships – doing a crazy air-fueled dance to stop traffic – only to sell himself as a mate and not to sell used cars.
In any case, a truly weirdly wonderful bird.
Ocellated Antbird
Fun shiny-headed bird. Eats army ants, which is pretty brave if you ask me,
Combcrested Jacana
These birds have crazy huge feet. They live in ponds and walk around on waterlilies. They have these massive toes to evenly distribute their weight so they won’t sink. It’s so clever. And also, they have a crazy beak wattle blob thing, which is always fun to draw.
Cuban Tody
Colorful little bird. They are only 4 inches long.
Hooded Pitohui
Fun fact: the pitohui is the first documented poisonous bird. Like poison-dart frogs, these birds eat toxic beetles which adds neurotoxins to their feathers and skin. So if you’re ever in New Guinea or thereabouts, and you see one of these guys, don’t lick it. Or touch it.
Great White Pelican
I used to work a few blocks from the Oakland Library, the main branch. I would often spend lunches browsing for new reads, music, or inspiration. They have gorgeous books in the reference library. I brought my colored pencils and created this beautiful bird on a particularly happy lunch break.
claire meyler 