New York’s community gardens have always been tiny pockets of magic—places where tomatoes, neighbors and the occasional rogue pigeon can peacefully coexist.
Now they’re bird sanctuaries of a more artistic kind, thanks to 21 freshly painted murals unveiled this week across gardens in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens. The project, a collaboration between the National Audubon Society, NYC Parks, GreenThumb and Gitler &_____ Gallery, splashes 24 climate-threatened bird species (plus more than 30 native plants) across walls, sheds and fences citywide.
The new works join a long-running effort: since 2014, the Audubon Mural Project has produced 142 murals depicting 210 species, turning the city into an open-air field guide with much better curb appeal. These latest additions spotlight how small green spaces, places residents often use for potlucks and tomato staking, are also vital habitat for migratory and year-round birds.
Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa calls the gardens “shared spaces to grow, learn and build community” and the murals double down on that mission. Painted by New York-based artists, each piece highlights a bird facing climate threats alongside the native plants that feed or shelter it. So, yes, that may be a Yellow Warbler you see in Melrose, but it’s also a subtle nudge to plant more goldenrod.
The Bronx leads the flock with seven murals, including Will DeNatale’s Hermit Thrush at Garden of Eden and Talisa Almonte’s Tennessee Warbler at Dolorinda Lisante Community Garden. Brooklyn’s five new works include Farid Hadechini’s Rose-breasted Grosbeak and American Tree Sparrow in Bed-Stuy and Peach Tao’s Swamp Sparrow in East New York. Manhattan’s contributions stretch from a clever Gray Catbird in the East Village to a particularly charismatic Baltimore Oriole in Harlem. And Queens rounds things out with five murals concentrated in Jamaica, like Maggie Rodriguez’s White-throated Sparrow and Jessie Salinas’s Sharp-shinned Hawk.
Audubon’s Jennifer Bogo notes that two-thirds of North American bird species are threatened by climate change—and many of them pass through or live in New York. These murals serve as reminders that the birds’ survival depends not only on large parks and forests, but also on pocket gardens tended by volunteers who understand their neighborhoods best.
Want to see them all? Check individual garden hours via NYC Parks’ GreenThumb page and explore the full mural list on the Audubon Mural Project site. Bonus homework: plug your zip code into Audubon’s Native Plant Database and find out which flowers and shrubs will make your local sparrows eternally grateful.
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