The Collection

The Bird Swatch Archive explores the remarkable variety of color found throughout the avian world. Created from photographic records and interpreted through digital illustration, each specimen highlights the hues, markings, and patterns shaped by nature for concealment, recognition, courtship, and display.

BS-0187

Montezuma Oropendola

Psarocolius montezuma

Conservation status

Least Concern

BS-0186

Southern Masked Weaver

Ploceus velatus

Conservation status

Least Concern

BS-0185

Fiery-throated Hummingbird

Panterpe insignis

Conservation status

Least Concern

BS-0184

Pink-throated Twinspot

Hypargos margaritatus

Conservation status

Least Concern

BS-0183

Wilson's Bird-of-Paradise

Cicinnurus respublica

Conservation status

Near Threatened

BS-0182

Violet-green Swallow

Tachycineta thalassina

Conservation status

Least Concern

BS-0181

Violet-backed Starling

Cinnyricinclus leucogaster

Conservation status

Least Concern

BS-0180

Violaceous Trogon

Trogon violaceus

Conservation status

Not Evaluated

BS-0179

Wood Duck

Aix sponsa

Conservation status

Least Concern

BS-0178

Western Tanager

Piranga ludoviciana

Conservation status

Least Concern

BS-0177

Violet Turaco

Musophaga violacea

Conservation status

Near Threatened

BS-0176

Vermilion Flycatcher

Pyrocephalus rubinus

Conservation status

Least Concern

BS-0175

Tufted Coquette

Lophornis ornatus

Conservation status

Least Concern

BS-0174

Tree Swallow

Tachycineta bicolor

Conservation status

Least Concern

Collections

Curated Groupings

Selected from across the archive, these groupings bring together birds whose plumage shares a particular harmony of color. Each collection reveals unexpected relationships between species, regions, and habitats, offering a new way to observe the recurring hues and combinations found throughout the natural world.

Goth Birds

Black feathers, dramatic silhouettes, and the unmistakable sense they’re judging you.

11 specimens

Structural Blues

Birds whose blue coloration is produced through feather structure and reflected light.

20 specimens

Method

Method of the Archive

Each specimen is reduced to a five-color record drawn from its plumage and anatomy, preserving the characteristic hues that distinguish the species.

Field Notes

Newsletter Sign-up

Occasional additions to the archive, new collections, and objects from the shop.