The story of the bird
The American Robin won a statewide vote of nearly 200,000 Michigan residents in 1929 - two years before the legislature made it official. Michigan’s 3,000 miles of Great Lakes coastline and vast Upper Peninsula forest support 466 species on the state checklist, including the only self-sustaining wild population of Kirtland’s Warbler on the planet.
This plate gathers the signature birds of Michigan onto a single sheet, drawn in the Audubon tradition of close observation and honest colour: Kirtland’s Warbler, Common Loon, Sandhill Crane, Black-backed Woodpecker, Trumpeter Swan, Yellow-headed Blackbird, and the American Robin.
The print
A studied composite in the Audubon style. Cream ground, the navy and sage of the house palette, each bird drawn in true proportion to the others and arranged as a single editorial plate rather than a chart. It reads as one picture of what Michigan’s skies and yards actually hold.
Paper and finish
Unframed prints come on Hahnemühle Photo Rag 308gsm, a heavyweight cotton rag with a soft matte surface and true archival life. The framed option is a different stock: Enhanced Matte 200gsm, set in a classic moulding, mounted and glazed, ready to hang straight from the box. Choose your frame in black, white or natural.
Sizes
Three sizes: A4, A3 and A2, or an instant digital PDF. Prints from $39. Framed from $109. Digital download $9.
How to hang it
A composite plate wants room to breathe. Give it a pale wall, warm white or sage, and hang it at eye height where the palette can carry. A brown or gold moulding suits the cream ground; black or dark grey gives a more graphic edge. Keep it out of direct sun, which fades the colour over decades.
Birds of Michigan field guide: /state/michigan/
More Michigan prints: /plates/state/michigan/
