The Image book of Nomad Papaya Bird
by Nomad Papaya Books
10.5 x 14.8 cm, Risoprint
60 pages
ISBN: 978-626-97804-6-4
Traditional Chinese, English

December 2025 First Edition of 40
April 2026 Second Edition of 160

In the shadow of the city’s high-rises, a bird perched beneath a wild papaya tree. Its rounded form and earthy hue allowed it to stand almost upright, like a papaya hanging from the branches. The Malayan Night Heron, often nicknamed “sweet potato bird” or “big silly bird” by locals - usually wanders the city with a carefree ease. Yet, on one chance afternoon, it stood quietly beneath a papaya tree heavy with fruit. In the shifting interplay of light and shadow, a striking resemblance between the two came into our view.
This book focuses its gaze and discourse on the Malayan Night Heron. Following the logic behind the nicknames people give to this bird, and taking the physical resemblance as the starting point, we propose “papaya bird” as a new nickname for it. From there, the book also employs methods such as photography, three-line poems, and observational notes to portray a bird that bears the weight of so many human projections. Echoing the exploration of Taiwanese papayas in our previous publication The Image Book of Nomad Papaya, by juxtaposing the bird and the fruit, we reflect on their evolving identities and meanings shaped by historical and ecological shifts, as both species gradually adapt to coexisting within the cityscape.


You may find a copy in the following bookstores:

Moom bookshop - Taipei, Taiwan
Pon Ding - Taipei, Taiwan