The Bird Tree - Québec

The Bird Tree

“Today, we are eliminating over a thousand times more species than we were before the industrial era. This extinction on a massive scale, the sixth such episode in Earth’s history, is caused by man. And man could well be the victim.” - Hubert Reeves

This artwork was presented by Ville de Montreal and created by Mosaïcultures Internationales de Montreal. The team put all its passion and expertise into creating The Bird Tree, MIM2013’s emblematic work and one that espouses the competition’s third subtheme: Earth’s endangered species and ecosystems.

The Bird Tree’s branches transform themselves into 56 bird species, while its roots change into a Kakapo (also referred to as an owl parrot, the only parrot unable to fly) and six species of amphibians and reptiles. All these species—birds, amphibians, reptiles—are among the most endangered on Earth, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

Québec’s indigenous Red-headed Woodpecker and Piping Plover are some of the species shown flying away from The Bird Tree, as though they were trying to escape the extinction that threatens them and that has already decimated Labrador’s Eider population and eliminated the Dodo and the Passenger Pigeon.

Planted in the middle of a basin to symbolize the mangroves of Sundarban, coastal ecosystems of tremendous biological abundance that are seriously threatened, The Bird Tree represents nature in its wild state, something man must preserve at all costs.

At the base of The Bird Tree, a salamander, a turtle, a frog and an iguana emerge from the roots in defiance of the threat they face.

The creation of this work—16 metres tall, with a crown 18 metres in diameter—proved challenging to the MIM team, particulary as concerns the structural aspect, the choice of plants and maintenance considerations.

The Bird Tree was presented by the team of Montreal City and created by Mosaïcultures Internationales de Montreal. Photo: © ProvinceQuebec.com

Engineers determined the trunk and branches should be able to withstand several tons, given the weight of the birds positioned in a cantilevered manner, with wing spans easily reaching four metres.

The colours of the plants chosen had to match that of the plumage of each of the birds represented. Blue-coloured birds presented a particular challenge, as that colour is not found in mosaiculture plants. The team also chose species and varieties that could tolerate the shade under each bird.

The tree is equipped with tie-down rings, to which the horticulturists in charge of maintenance can attach straps, lanyards or ropes allowing them to fasten their harnesses by means of snap hooks. It took the Mosaïcultures Internationales de Montréal (MIM) team more than six years to plan and create this work.

The Bird Tree represents nature in its wild state, something man must preserve at all costs. Photo: © ProvinceQuebec.com

The tree weighs 100 tons; the heaviest bird weighs three tons. It is the Egyptian Vulture, whose outstretched wings measure nearly three metres. Imagine three tons perched on the tip of a branch… Each bird’s metal structure is made of aluminum to reduce its weight.

MIM2013’s senior horticulturist also had a light substrate developed and used for planting the birds. This substrate was subsequently incorporated into all mosaiculture pieces created by the MIM team.

In a first, the MIM team used Leptinella squalida and Selaginellea, which solved problems of shade and colour related to the choice of plants.

The horticulturists in charge of the maintenance of The Bird Tree received specialized training in climbing and scaling techniques.

It took the Mosaïcultures Internationales de Montréal team more than six years to plan and create this work. Photo: © ProvinceQuebec.com

Here comes the complet list of the bird species presented on the tree:

Strigops habroptila Kakapo
Amazona oratrix Yellow-headed Amazon
Ara ambiguus Great Green Macaw
Centrocercus minimus Gunnison Sage-grouse
Oreophasis derbianus Horned Guan
Starnoenas cyanocephala Blue-headed Quail-dove
Aceros narcondami ou Rhyticeros narcondami Narcondam Hornbill
Anodorhynchus hyacinthine Hyacinth Macaw
Aratinga solstitialis Sun Parakeet
Ardeola idae Madagascar Pond-heron or Malagasy Pond Heron
Branta ruficollis Red-breasted Goose
Ciconia boyciana Oriental Stork
Eos histrio Red-and-blue Lory
Eunymphicus uvaeensis Ouvea Parakeet
Grus japonensis Japanese Crane or Red-crowned Crane
Guaruba guarouba Golden Parakeet
Leptoptilos dubius Greater Adjutant
Mergus squamatus Scaly-sided Merganser
Neophron percnopterus Egyptian Vulture
Otus ireneae Sokoke Scops-owl
Oxyura leucocephala White-headed Duck
Pavo muticus Green Peafowl
Phodilus prigoginei Congo Bay-owl
Pipile jacutinga Black-fronted Piping-guan
Pitta gurneyi Gurney’s Pitta
Podiceps gallardoi Hooded Grebe
Buteo ridgwayi Ridgway’s Hawk
Melanerpes erythrocephalus Red-headed Woodpecke
Charadrius melodus Piping Plover
Amazona vittata Puerto Rican Amazon
Campephilus principalis Ivory-billed Woodpecker
Gymnogyps californianus California Condor
Pipile pipile Trinidad Piping-guan
Aceros waldeni Rufous-headed Hornbill ou Walden's Hornbill
Ara glaucogularis Blue-throated Macaw
Cacatua sulphurea Yellow-crested Cockatoo
Celeus obrieni Kaempfer’s Woodpecker
Claravis godefrida Purple-winged Ground-dove
Cyanopsitta spixii Little Blue Macaw or Spix's Macaw
Gallicolumba keayi Negros Bleeding-heart
Geronticus eremita Northern Bald Ibis
Gyps indicus Indian Vulture
Hapalopsittaca fuertesi Indigo-winged or Fuerte's Parrot
Heteroglaux blewitti Forest Owlet
Lanius newtoni Sao Tome Fiscal
Leptodon forbesi White-collared Kite
Neophema chrysogaster Orange-bellied Parrot
Nisaetus floris Flores Hawk-eagle
Phoebastria irrorata Waved Albatross
Rhodonessa caryophyllacea Pink-headed Duck
Todiramphus gambieri Tuamotu Kingfisher
Pyrrhura griseipectus Grey-breasted Parakeet
Ara rubrogenys Red-fronted Macaw
Lathamus discolor Swift Parrot
Leucopsar rothschildi Bali Starling
Nisaetus bartelsi Javan Hawk-eagle

At the base of The Bird Tree, a salamander, a turtle, a frog and an iguana emerge from the roots in defiance of the threat they face. Photo: © ProvinceQuebec.com

The iguana. Photo: © ProvinceQuebec.com

Engineers determined the trunk and branches should be able to withstand several tons, given the weight of the birds positioned in a cantilevered manner, with wing spans easily reaching four metres. Photo: © ProvinceQuebec.com

The team put all its expertise into creating The Bird Tree, MIM2013’s emblematic work and one that espouses the competition’s third subtheme: Earth’s endangered species and ecosystems. Photo: © ProvinceQuebec.com

Planted in the middle of a basin to symbolize the mangroves of Sundarban, coastal ecosystems of tremendous biological abundance that are threatened. Photo: © ProvinceQuebec.com

The tree weighs 100 tons; the heaviest bird weighs three tons. Just imagine three tons perched on the tip of a branch! Photo: © ProvinceQuebec.com

Some of the species are shown flying away from The Bird Tree, as though they were trying to escape the extinction that threatens them. Photo: © ProvinceQuebec.com

The Bird Tree’s branches transform themselves into 57 bird species, while its roots change into six species of amphibians and reptiles. All these species are among the most endangered on Earth. Photo: © ProvinceQuebec.com

The colours of the plants chosen had to match that of the plumage of the blue-coloured birds presented a particular challenge, as that colour is not found in mosaiculture plants. Photo: © ProvinceQuebec.com

The creation of this work, 16 metres tall, with a crown 18 metres in diameter, proved challenging to the MIM team. Photo: © ProvinceQuebec.com

“We are eliminating over a thousand times more species than we were before the industrial era. This extinction on a massive scale… And man could well be the victim.” (Hubert Reeves). Photo: © ProvinceQuebec.com

MIM2013’s senior horticulturist also had a light substrate developed and used for planting the birds. This substrate was incorporated into all mosaiculture pieces created by the MIM team. Photo: © ProvinceQuebec.com

The horticulturists in charge of the maintenance of The Bird Tree received specialized training in climbing and scaling techniques. Photo: © ProvinceQuebec.com