Tundra Swan by Boy Kong

Painted: 10/19/2014

(This mural suffered damage and has since been replaced by the Whiskered Screech Owl.)

About the Bird: A long-distant migrant, each spring the Tundra Swan flies from wintering grounds scattered throughout the United States to the tundra of far northern Canada. Because the Arctic is warming faster than anywhere else on Earth, this habitat is changing rapidly, and there’s essentially nowhere farther north for the bird to go. If temperatures rise to 3 degrees Celsius, 93 percent of its breeding habitat is projected to be lost; if kept at 1.5 degrees, that loss could be cut in half.

About the Artist: Making art described as “eye candy” by one critic, Boy Kong is one of the rising stars of the growing art scene in Florida. A self-taught artist, Boy is often inspired by Asian folklore and traditions, and his works are fused with a surrealistic sensibility. He took this aesthetic to his avian subject: “Swans don’t seem like they have enough attitude,” he says. “I wanted to give the bird some flare and color!”

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