Lesser Yellowlegs by Justin Suarez

Painted: 8/19/2025

Concerning the Mural: In downtown Rockton, Illinois, three Lesser Yellowlegs now adorn the outside of an area vintage store known as Frosted Farmhouse, the nine-foot-tall shorebirds standing out amid the eclectic decorations on the market. 

Within the portray, the birds wade and fly in a wealthy, swampy habitat. Artist Justin Suarez selected to incorporate two swamp roses, native vegetation which can be indicators of the wholesome wetlands the birds have to thrive. Within the nook of the portray, a small freshwater snail sits on a log, coexisting for the second (it’s additionally a favourite meals for Lesser Yellowlegs).

This mural joins a collection that may define the Lesser Yellowlegs’ migratory path, from Alaska and Canada to South America. As a part of the Mississippi Flyway, Rockton is a crucial relaxation cease for Lesser Yellowlegs alongside their journeys. The house for this mural is simply throughout from the Carl & Myrna Nygren Wetland Protect, a 721-acre restored wetland that serves as a key stopover for Lesser Yellowlegs, Whooping Cranes, and a number of different birds. 

The mural was organized by Jennifer Kuroda, president of Sinnissippi Audubon, who launched the primary chapter-led Audubon mural project in 2018. “I like birds and I like public artwork,” she says. “It makes the work simple to do.” Since then, Kuroda has organized 11 Audubon murals all through Illinois, together with a collection of bird mosaics. Kuroda leads mural walks and desires of getting an excellent bigger community of hen murals all through the state. 

Concerning the Chicken: The Lesser Yellowlegs is a small shorebird finest recognized for its vibrant legs. It strides with excessive steps via shallow waters, typically swinging its head forwards and backwards because it forages for bugs, small fish, and crustaceans. The birds are most frequently seen all through the US throughout migration, once they land in wetlands, marshes, and mudflats to relaxation and refuel. 

Lesser Yellowlegs have misplaced greater than 50 p.c of their inhabitants previously 50 years in the US, in accordance with the 2025 State of the Birds report. One main problem is their reliance on wetlands, that are disappearing resulting from growth and sea stage rise. If world warming continues at present charges, Lesser Yellowlegs are projected to lose 96 p.c of their summer time vary, in accordance with Audubon’s Survival By Degrees report. However taking motion to restrict warming can make sure the birds can thrive in a wider vary of habitats. 

In Rockton, the Lesser Yellowlegs that cease over annually provide a reminder of such threats: “These are birds which can be proper right here and are impacted by local weather change,” Kuroda says. “In the future, you may not see them.” 

Concerning the artist: The Lesser Yellowlegs mural provides to Justin Suarez’s lengthy record of bird and wildlife murals. A full-time muralist, Suarez, who goes by the artist title Aerosol Kingdom, typically travels removed from his hometown of Rochester, New York. “That’s considered one of my favourite components,” he says. “It provides me an opportunity to spotlight all these completely different species that I do not get to see in my space.” 

For every of his work, which normally focus on animals, Suarez researches his topic—one thing he hopes his viewers will do as nicely. “I actually like the concept of encouraging the viewer to turn out to be curious and go lookup info for themselves,” he says. “I feel that’s all a part of what leads folks in direction of conservation.” 

He has a selected love for raptors, stemming from his volunteer work with Wild Wings, a conservation nonprofit in Rochester that cares for completely injured birds of prey. Suarez volunteered there as an animal handler for over a decade. Attending to work up shut with birds like hawks, falcons, eagles, owls, and corvids has helped him make his work extra anatomically appropriate. 

Suarez can be devoted to bringing younger folks into artwork. In 2013, he co-founded the nonprofit Roc Paint Division, the Metropolis of Rochester’s Youth Mural Arts Program. Via it, he helps practice and make use of younger folks to color murals in city-owned areas.