Black-chinned Hummingbird by Ashli Sisk

Location: 601 W. 149th Street, New York, NY 10031

Painted: 5/16/2015

(This mural has since been removed.)

About the Bird: The Black-chinned Hummingbird is thought to already be moving north and east in response to climate change, and Audubon’s models show that the bird’s summer range will continue to extend into states like North and South Dakota. At the current pace of warming much of the habitat where it overwinters in the southern United States, including in Louisiana and Florida, will no longer be suitable, however, and the bird will also be vulnerable to threats like increased fire and spring heat waves.

About the Artist: Ashli Sisk splits her time between her studio practice and community-mural making largely through the nonprofit Creative Art Works. She has a background in anthropology, metaphysics, and veterinary medicine and a degree from the San Francisco Art Institute. Her work has been exhibited internationally. “The Black-chinned Hummingbird lives on the edge, flower to flower, at a breakneck speed much like the people of New York,” she says of her avian subject. “They also perform the important role of pollinator, and I wanted to call attention to that role, and how the diversity of blooming plants hinges on birds, bees, butterflies, and bats.”

Former Location: