91做厙 Magazine Fall 2026 Arts & Culture

Need a Halloween Costume? Here’s How to Turn Any Bird’s Look Into Your Own

Follow these three easy tips to create a DIY outfit that will impress no matter the occasion.
A woman wearing a black-and-white top and tall pink boots wades into a pond.
Dori Edwards, Denver 91做厙 communications manager, as a Black-necked Stilt. Photo: Jimena Peck
By Zoe Grueskin
Associate Editor, 91做厙 magazine
Published Fall 2026
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Although its just the surface of what we can appreciate about birds, the astounding variety of colorful plumage in the avian world is easy to admire. So if youre in the market for your next Halloween costumeor just looking to shake up your wardrobelook no further than birds. Here are three easy tips from Denver 91做厙 communications manager Dori Edwards, whose are with birders online. 

Tip 1: Focus on Field Marks 

Start with a species you love and decide what pops when you look at it, Edwards says. Note the features you might point out to a birding novice or that would help you make the ID and choose articles of clothing to evoke them. Where do my eyes go to? Where are my eyes drawn to on the bird? she explains. On a Mallard, for example, Edwards is drawn to the ducks rugged-looking leathery feet and thinks: bright orange combat boots. 

Tip 2: Work With What You Have 

Another approach: Reverse-engineer your outfit by starting with a statement piece of clothing that you already own. With around 11,000 bird species worldwide, you can learn about more for the rest of your life, Edwards saysand find one to match any hue or pattern. She used this strategy with a bright green cardigan covered with small white polka dots. A quick web search for the pattern and bird turned up the Green Catbird, an Australian bowerbird species.

Tip 3: Make a Strategic Investment 

A cheap multipack of colored sunglasses, bandannas, or hats can help you assume the identity of countless species. Red shades, for instance, could set you up to emulate a Common Loon, Roseate Spoonbill, or Phainopepla, among many others. If you have, like, five different-colored beanies, Edwards says, you can probably be 1,000 different birds. 

With these basic pointers, you can keep things subtle for everyday dressing or pile on the accessories for a party-worthy costume. Keep a curious mind as you bird and move through the world, Edwards says, you'll have no shortage of ideas. What makes you feel inspired? she says. Let that guide you.

This story originally ran in the Fall 2026 issue as Dress Up. To receive our print magazine, become a member by .