The story of the bird
In 1943, New Mexico schoolchildren voted the Greater Roadrunner their favourite bird - and the state legislature made it official on 16 March 1949. New Mexico now holds 559 verified bird species, one of the longest state lists in the American West, across terrain that runs from Chihuahuan Desert flats to 13,000-foot alpine tundra.
This plate gathers the signature birds of New Mexico onto a single sheet, drawn in the Audubon tradition of close observation and honest colour: Sandhill Crane, Pyrrhuloxia, Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch, Black Rosy-Finch, Brown-capped Rosy-Finch, Violet-crowned Hummingbird, Cave Swallow, and the Greater Roadrunner.
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 New Mexico’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 New Mexico field guide: /state/new-mexico/
More New Mexico prints: /plates/state/new-mexico/
