Today’s Google doodle honors the renown birder Phoebe Snetsinger. The colorful, animated image includes Snetsigner with her binoculars, and five of her most notable finds: the blackburnian warbler, red-shouldered vanga, village weaverbird, eastern bluebird, and red-capped manakin.
According to the Google Doodle Blog, Snetsinger traveled around the world to witness a number of obscure birds. She saw a total of 8,393 bird species – the highest count of any other birder in the world at that time.
Sometimes it takes dire circumstances to compel us toward action. Phoebe Snetsinger, who would have been 85 years old today, became the world’s most prolific bird-watcher — a feat she achieved by surmounting tremendous odds.
Designed by animator Juliana Chen, the doodle leads to a search for “Phoebe Snetsinger” and includes a sharing icon to share on social pages.
Google says Snetsinger didn’t come to birding until 1981 after she had been diagnosed with cancer.