Montana’s Strangest Souvenir: The Legendary Turd Bird

You truly never know what each new day will bring. Maybe you run into an old friend, maybe you discover a new favorite coffee spot, or if you are really lucky, you learn about something so uniquely Montana that you wonder how you went this long without knowing it existed. That was my experience recently when I accidentally stumbled into the legend of the Montana Turd Bird.

It all started with taking a different route to work. On a whim, I pulled into a small gas station just outside Bozeman. Inside, my eyes landed on a small display of handmade bird figurines. I did not think much of it at first. Montana is full of local crafts, after all. But curiosity got the best of me, and as I was checking out, I asked the clerk what those little bird things were.

She smiled and said, almost casually, “Oh, those are the famous turd birds.”

I paused. Then repeated it back slowly. Turd. Bird. She laughed and confirmed that yes, the Montana Turd Bird is very much a thing.

As it turds out, this quirky creation has been around for decades. The original versions date back to the 1970s and were handmade from dried horse manure that had been carefully lacquered to preserve it. The droppings were shaped just right, perched on pipe cleaner legs, decorated with feathers, googly eyes, and sometimes mounted on a small base.

The tongue-in-cheek piece of roadside humor perfectly captures Montana’s dry wit and love for the unconventional. Over the years, they have apparently become more popular. I can’t think of a more unforgettable souvenir to bring home.

There is something oddly charming about it. It is funny, a little gross, and completely honest about what it is. So if you ever spot one sitting on a shelf at a small Montana shop, now you know the story. And yes, I am still debating whether I should go back and buy one.