Lesser Yellowlegs by Justin Suarez

Painted: 8/19/2025

About the Mural: In downtown Rockton, Illinois, three Lesser Yellowlegs now adorn the exterior of a local antique shop called Frosted Farmhouse, the nine-foot-tall shorebirds standing out amid the eclectic decorations for sale. 

In the painting, the birds wade and fly in a rich, swampy habitat. Artist Justin Suarez chose to include two swamp roses, native plants that are indicators of the healthy wetlands the birds need to thrive. In the corner of the painting, a small freshwater snail sits on a log, coexisting for the moment (it’s also a favorite food for Lesser Yellowlegs).

This mural joins a series that will outline the Lesser Yellowlegs’ migratory path, from Alaska and Canada to South America. As part of the Mississippi Flyway, Rockton is an important rest stop for Lesser Yellowlegs along their journeys. The home for this mural is just across from the Carl & Myrna Nygren Wetland Preserve, a 721-acre restored wetland that serves as a key stopover for Lesser Yellowlegs, Whooping Cranes, and a host of other birds. 

The mural was organized by Jennifer Kuroda, president of Sinnissippi Audubon, who launched the first chapter-led Audubon mural project in 2018. “I love birds and I love public art,” she says. “It makes the work easy to do.” Since then, Kuroda has organized 11 Audubon murals throughout Illinois, along with a series of bird mosaics. Kuroda leads mural walks and dreams of having an even larger network of bird murals throughout the state. 

About the Bird: The Lesser Yellowlegs is a small shorebird best known for its bright legs. It strides with high steps through shallow waters, sometimes swinging its head back and forth as it forages for insects, small fish, and crustaceans. The birds are most often seen throughout the United States during migration, when they land in wetlands, marshes, and mudflats to rest and refuel. 

Lesser Yellowlegs have lost more than 50 percent of their population in the past 50 years in the United States, according to the 2025 State of the Birds report. One major challenge is their reliance on wetlands, which are disappearing due to development and sea level rise. If global warming continues at current rates, Lesser Yellowlegs are projected to lose 96 percent of their summer range, according to Audubon’s Survival By Degrees report. But taking action to limit warming can ensure the birds can thrive in a wider range of habitats. 

In Rockton, the Lesser Yellowlegs that stop over each year offer a reminder of such threats: “These are birds that are right here and are impacted by climate change,” Kuroda says. “One day, you might not see them.” 

About the artist: The Lesser Yellowlegs mural adds to Justin Suarez’s long list of bird and wildlife murals. A full-time muralist, Suarez, who goes by the artist name Aerosol Kingdom, often travels far from his hometown of Rochester, New York. “That’s one of my favorite parts,” he says. “It gives me a chance to highlight all these different species that I don't get to see in my area.” 

For each of his paintings, which usually center around animals, Suarez researches his subject—something he hopes his viewers will do as well. “I really like the idea of encouraging the viewer to become curious and go look up information for themselves,” he says. “I think that’s all part of what leads people towards conservation.” 

He has a particular love for raptors, stemming from his volunteer work with Wild Wings, a conservation nonprofit in Rochester that cares for permanently injured birds of prey. Suarez volunteered there as an animal handler for over a decade. Getting to work up close with birds like hawks, falcons, eagles, owls, and corvids has helped him make his paintings more anatomically correct. 

Suarez is also dedicated to bringing young people into art. In 2013, he co-founded the nonprofit Roc Paint Division, the City of Rochester’s Youth Mural Arts Program. Through it, he helps train and employ young people to paint murals in city-owned spaces.