Eastern Towhee by Majo San

Listen to the bird in this mural!

Painted: October 2025

About the Mural: In this mural by artist Majo San, an Eastern Towhee perches on a vine of native Virginia creeper. As part of the Audubon Mural Project—a public-art initiative drawing attention to birds that are vulnerable to extinction from climate change—NYC Parks’ Art in the Parks program and NYC Parks GreenThumb worked with the National Audubon Society, Gitler &_____ Gallery, and local artists to design murals in community gardens across the city. Through a collaborative process between the partners, artist, and garden group, each mural was designed to feature climate-threatened birds as well as native plants that birds depend on for food and shelter. By creating vibrant urban green spaces, community gardeners provide essential support for birds and people. Explore more murals from the collaboration here.

This mural was created with Discovery Community Garden 2, half of a pair of interlinked green spaces in Jamaica, Queens. Along with growing crops, the gardens host community events and youth programming to connect with the neighborhood. 

About the Bird: The Eastern Towhee is a striking yet secretive sparrow with a dark hood, bright red eyes, and rusty sides offset by a bright white stripe down its chest. The birds are often spotted scratching around in the undergrowth of thickets, letting out nasally chewink calls.

The towhee’s populations have dropped off in the Northeast, though remain stable in other ranges. Climate change, however, poses further threats: If warming continues at its current pace, this species is projected to lose 83 percent of its current summer range, according to Audubon’s Survival By Degrees report. Taking action to limit climate change can help ensure these birds can thrive across a wider range of landscapes. Meanwhile, maintaining pockets of green space such as community gardens—and filling them with native plants—can offer essential places for birds to rest and refuel.

About the Artist: Majo San is a multidisciplinary artist born and raised in Mexico City and based in New York since 2018. She works on a range of projects including murals, paintings, installations, and tattoos, which often highlight texture and organic elements. Her pieces include themes of community, nature, the exploration of our minds, and how we relate with our world and reality, as well as contemplations of her spiritual practice rooted in Tibetan Buddhism. “I invite to not only see nature, but to feel it, and in that way, go deeper and strengthen our connection,” she says.

For this mural, the artist says she enjoyed the stark contrast between the hues of the bird and its plant perch, and hopes the work can remind people of nature’s beauty even in the midst of the city. She painted murals on both sides of the linked Discovery Community Gardens and enjoyed spending time in the natural space—as well as eating produce shared with her by garden members. “It was a pleasure to meet the gardeners and see how they invest their time to nurture and share what they have,” she says.