Unlimited edition. 18 x 24 inch, museum-quality poster on matte paper.

The brightly colored saffron finch is a South American tanager species, common in Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, and Venezuela, but its range is expanding due to pet trade popularity. The male’s striking plumage – saffron, golden olive, with a splash of pumpkin – and cheery melodious song explain its parlor appeal. Unfortunately (and inevitably), pet birds escape. Populations are now established in Hawaii, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico, and Florida has confirmed sightings, as well.

But saffron finches aren’t just popular as pets. They’re also collected for bird fighting rings. The males are intensely territorial during breeding season, and they can be readily made to fight to the death for the amusement of men placing bets (yes, it’s almost always men). The birds are turned into pint-sized gladiators, their beaks sharpened and metal hooks attached to one leg on each bird. The pastime is popular, if illegal, and the saffron finch is now the most trafficked bird in Brazil. Like the birds range, the reach of these fighting rings is expanding, with recent busts in Connecticut and Massachusetts – how discouraging.

Note: These archival poster prints feature rich, appealing colors. I encourage customers to take care in handling them until they are framed/protected for display; the darker colors on the matte paper can be scratched. They ship rolled, so customers need to flatten them before framing (or have their framer do so).

Charitable Sales Model: Whenever one of these poster prints is purchased, a charitable contribution equal to 10% of the print’s cost (or $3.60) is made to a nonprofit working to tackle environmental or social challenges. Read more about my charitable sales model here.