There’s a Giant Pigeon Sculpture in New York City’s High Line

Dinosaur replaces Pamela Rosenkranz’s Old Tree, a vivid red-and-pink sculpture that was displayed from May 2023 for 18 months.

While mostly loathed by New Yorkers for being supposedly dirty, stupid, and brazen, there’s no denying that the street pigeon is the city’s most ubiquitous bird. And with this sculpture, it’s reached icon status.

“I thought it was interesting to make a tribute and to pay a honor to this marginal figure and make it as big as possible,” Argote says in a video interview. Dinosaur was scaled to the size of a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

The size of the piece certainly forces people and pigeon to switch places. Now humans are small, dominated, and being looked down at while Dinosaur stares at us from above, strong, fearless, and seemingly unkind. It pushed us to think about how it would feel to be a street bird surrounded by giant creatures who hate you. It would undoubtedly be frightening.

But beyond the power reversal, Dinosaur is also good opportunity for New Yorkers to take the time to look at a pigeon closely, without disgust. They might notice its beautiful attributes, including the iridescent feathers on its neck, its perfect red, clawed feet, and its curious eyes. Pigeons are no different than any other bird, except for the fact that they live on the city’s dirty streets.

But pigeons haven’t always lived in the cities. They came from Europe, where they lived on cliffs, over 10,000 years ago and simply have adapted to city living. Today, they are found on every continent, except Antarctica.

According to the experts at Adubon, pigeons are vastly misunderstood and their bad reputation is undeserved. “They are some of the cleanest birds and strongest fliers. Pigeons are among the most intelligent animals. They have been taught to deliver messages, play ping pong, and because of their incredible eyesight, they have been used by the Coast Guard to spot lost people at sea.”

Challenge your preconceived ideas about pigeons and go check out Dinosaur at 30th Street and 10th Avenue. You might come back from your visit with a new appreciation for NYC’s most famous bird.