Birds on Statue Heads

Seagull on the statue head of Cain having just killed his brother Abel (Caïn venant de tuer son frère Abel)

Tuileries Gardens, Paris, France 22 November 2018 Photo taken with an iPhone Submitted by Marc Wennberg

This new photo added to the archive might be my favorite so far. It makes you wonder whether Cain is crying out of shame for killing his brother or because a seagull has landed on his head.

Victoria Square, Birmingham, England 20 May 2024 Photo taken with a Samsung Galaxy S21 Submitted by Lynda Bowen

After being locked away in storage from 2017-2022 during a tram expansion project, the Iron:Man statue created by Sir Antony Gormley (1950-present) was returned to its place in Birmingham's Victoria Square, where Lynda Bowen was lucky to snap a picture of this seagull sitting on the statues head in May 2024.

The statue was gifted to the city of Birmingham by the Trustee Savings Bank in 1993.

The statue's symoblism

Sir Antony Gormley, a prominent British sculptor, says he designed the statue to symbolize Birmingham's important role in the Industrial Revolution.

How Iron:Man got its name

The sculpture was initially untitled and only acquired the name Iron:Man over time, as it became a famous fixture of Victoria Square.

Lynda Bowen, who took this photo with her Samsung Galaxy S21 phone, says that the name could be a reference to the iron maiden torture device that also inspired the band's name. But with its feet firmly planted beneath the ground, a slight lean to the left, and a seagull on its head, the Iron:Man seems to be harmless.

Geoge Square, Glasgow, Scotland 17 July 2017 Photo taken with an iPhone 7 Submitted by Ross Spencer

Like the statue of William Ewart Gladstone featured in my first post, this bronze statue of James Oswald (1779-1853)—on whose head a seagull has also landed—is located in Glasgow's George Square. Fun fact: There are 13 statues in George Square, which is considered an open-air tribute to British and Scottish history, as well as a site for political demonstrations.

History of James Oswald's statue

Oswald's statue was erected in a different location in 1865 and moved to the Square 10 years later because his political opponent, Sir Robert Peel, already had his own statue there—it was Oswald's family who petitioned to have his statue relocated.

A shady past

James Oswald was the son of a wealthy landowner and merchant. He was elected to parliament twice in Glasgow, where he supported moves to abolish slavery, though it is unclear what his motives were—he derived his wealth from the transatlantic slave trade and was likely awarded slavery compensation.

Plaça del Pedró, Barcelona, Spain 10 April 2024 Photo taken with iPhone 8

The Fountain of Saint Eulàlia (Font de Santa Eulàlia) is one of the city's oldest commemorative monuments. It was erected between 1668 and 1672 in the square where Saint Eulàlia is believed to have been crucified, which is why the statue depicts her holding the symbols of her martyrdom.

The monument was converted into a fountain by Josep Mas i Vila (1779-1856) in 1826, and was restored by Frederic Marès (1893-1991), who also restored the statue of Canon Francesc Rodó is Sala, after it was destroyed in the 1936 Civil War in 1952.

Who was Saint Eulàlia?

Eulàlia of Barcelona (c. 284-303), who is now the co-patron saint of Barcelona, was a 13-year-old Roman Christian virgin who was crucified during the Diocletian Persecution of Christians. She was believed to have been the daughter of a noble family and was martyred when she confronted the governor Dacian about the Christian persecution.

Church of Sant Martí del Clot, Barcelona, Spain 18 April 2026 Photo taken with iPhone Submitted by Merak Villa-Orozco

Canon Francesc Rodó i Sala (1816-1902) was a beloeved rector for more than 30 years at the Church of Sant Martí del Clot in Barcelona, Spain. He was known by his parishoners as the "Canon of the poor" and the "Rector of the workers" for his charitable work. Parishoners loved him so much that in 1917 they commissioned Josep Vilaseca i Casanovas (1848-1910) and Frederic Marès (1893-1991) to erect a statue to the Canon in front of the church—Vilaseca i Casanovas designed the structure, and Marès created the sculptures.

The original statue was made out of bronze, but in 1936 it was destroyed when the church was stormed during the Civil War. in 1949, Marès was commissioned to restore the statue in the same location, this time using stone as his material. The statue features the Canon seated with a young child at his side.

Merak says that he noticed the pigeon sitting on the Canon's head and took the picture before entering the train station across the street.

God bless all the birds who stop for a rest.

George Square, Glasgow, Scotland 18 September 2019 Photo taken with iPhone 8s

I just noticed that there are also 5 pigeons and another seagull standing on the base of the statue, possibly waiting for their chance to rise. If you look closely, you can see what appears to be the accumulation of years of bird poop on the statue's head. This is the first photo I ever took of a bird on a statue head—the seagull standing on the head of the proud William Ewart Gladstone (1809-1898) amused me.

Why is there a statue of William Ewart Gladstone in Glasgow?

Gladstone was a 4-time British Prime Minister in the late 19th century, who Queen Victoria reportedly hated because he spoke to her like a person, not a royal. While he was loved by Glaswegian merchants because of his economic policies, it seems that the statue was created to commemorate Gladstone for his role as the rector of Glasgow University in 1879, indicated by the robes he's wearing.

The statue was created by Sir W. Hamo Thornycroft, R.A. (1850-1925), who was a fan of Gladstone (he created another statue in his honor in London, wearing the robes of the Chancellor of Exchequer). It was unveiled 11 October 1902 and has been a landing pad for birds ever since.

A shady past

While the statue of William Ewart Gladstone was erected to celebrate the man's accomplishments, we can't ignore that the Gladstone family owned slaves and profited from the abolition of slavery in the 1830s. In order to get legislation passed, abolitionists had to agree to the compensation of slave owners for the financial cost of the "property" they lost. Slave owners were to be paid £20 million through the Slave Compensation Commission, and apparently British taxpayers didn't finish paying off this debt until 2015.

According to the Center for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery, William's father John Gladstone was compensated over £120,000 for 3,277 slaves he once owned. William Ewart was not a "claimant," but his record states that he was "closely involved with the claims of his father" and supported the compensation of slave owners when he was in parliament.

Now that's a history for birds to crap on.