This didn't turn out the way I had hoped... I made some mistakes while freehand inking this as my hands have been very shaky lately. Ah well! Mistakes are part of art I suppose.

This is a Bali Mynah (also known as Bali Starlings, or Rothschild’s Mynah, or the Bali Myna). These are truly beautiful birds... you have probably seen one at your local zoo or aviary. These cool birds were only discovered in the last 100 years (1910), but as always we humans have made life pretty hard for this species. In 2001 there were only SIX left in the wild! These birds are critically endangered and are nearly extinct in the wild. It is estimated that there may be as few as four to ten of them left in the wild. Only captive breeding programs can keep them from going extinct now. They are still being sold on the black market as pets and aviary birds-- if you know someone who has one as a pet please consider urging them to talk to someone that can help get it into a captive breeding program.

Info about the Bali Mynah:
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5" x 5" ink and watercolor on watercolor board.

This piece will be traveling with me to FurtherConfusion 2009 and will be up for auction in the art show. If it raises enough to break even I will donate a percentage of the proceeds to groups that are trying to save the Bali Mynah from extinction.