World Art Utopia

Falcão-Peregrino by Bordalo II, Sintra, Portugal

A giant peregrine falcon in relief covers the corner wall of a tall white utility building. The bird, shown in profile facing left and perched upright, is built from layered pieces of grey, white, black and blue plastic waste, with a large round black eye ringed in yellow, a short hooked yellow beak and a bright blue back and wing. Its two yellow feet, made from plastic pieces, grip a dark ledge of black paint. Black and white paint drips and splashes run down the pale wall, which is streaked with rust-brown stains, and the signature BORDALO II is sprayed in black to the left of the bird. Bare winter branches hang in front of the right side, rocks and young plants sit in a low bed at the foot of the wall, and a woman in a pink knitted hat and an orange coat walks away along the pavement in the lower left corner.
Artwork FileSintra · Portugal
SeenDec 2025

Falcão-
Peregrino

Bordalo II · “Falcão-Peregrino” (peregrine falcon), 2021 · Wall of the SMAS de Sintra workshops at Portela, on Avenida Almirante Gago Coutinho, Sintra

Photo as published on Street Art Utopia in January 2022; photographer not known. Dated photos from 2023 are on Arca de Darwin and Street Art Cities

  • #BordaloII
  • #BigTrashAnimals
  • #FalcaoPeregrino
  • #PeregrineFalcon
  • #SMASdeSintra
  • #Portela
  • #Sintra
  • #TrashArt

A giant peregrine falcon made of plastic waste grips a ledge of black paint on a white utility wall in Sintra. Bordalo II built it from plastic waste for the 75th anniversary of SMAS de Sintra, the municipal water and waste service, which unveiled it on 21 May 2021. The bird is a resident of the nearby Sintra-Cascais Natural Park.

5 things to know

  1. Made for a water utility’s birthdaySMAS de Sintra, the municipal water, sewage and waste service founded in May 1946, asked Bordalo II for a “Big Trash Animals” piece inspired by the wildlife of the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park to mark its 75th anniversary. It was unveiled on Friday 21 May 2021, the eve of International Biodiversity Day, with the mayor, Basílio Horta, present. SMAS de Sintra · Sintra Notícias
  2. Why a falconSMAS calls the peregrine the fastest animal in the world, able to reach 320 km/h, and says it is classed as vulnerable, threatened by building along the coast where it nests on rock faces. Bordalo II says he chose it “pela imponência e força que transmite” (for the grandeur and strength it conveys) and for its role in the park’s ecosystem. SMAS de Sintra · Green Savers
  3. Look for the tyre and the bin lidA nature blogger who photographed the work in December 2023 points out that an old tyre forms the falcon’s eye and a rubbish-bin lid sits in its chest. Arca de Darwin
  4. A wall you see from a bikeSMAS says the piece fills one façade of its Portela workshops but can be seen by anyone on Avenida Almirante Gago Coutinho, especially from the cycle path between Portela de Sintra and Ouressa. On Komoot, a route app, cyclists have saved it as a road-cycling highlight called “Bordalo II Hawk Mural”. SMAS de Sintra · Komoot
  5. The waste keeps adding upIn May 2021 SMAS wrote that the series had reached 220 pieces and 72 tonnes of reused end-of-life plastic. In December 2023 the Arca de Darwin blog put Bordalo II’s total since 2012 at more than 115 tonnes, and his own website now says 178 tons. SMAS de Sintra · Arca de Darwin · Bordalo II

Check-in guide

📍
A façade of the SMAS de Sintra workshops at Portela, facing Avenida Almirante Gago Coutinho, beside the cycle path between Portela de Sintra and Ouressa (SMAS de Sintra). Street Art Cities lists a different street address; see The facts.
🧭
The Maps button uses the Street Art Cities point; the Komoot point is about 30 m to the west (Street Art Cities, Komoot). SMAS says the work can be seen by everyone passing on the avenue; it is on a working utility site, so view it from the street or the cycle path.
👀
The newest dated photo we found is from 29 December 2023, and the newest dated sighting is a Street Art Cities “seen” mark from 27 December 2025. Check before you travel.
🚲
Cyclists have saved it on Komoot as a road-cycling highlight (Komoot).
Open in MapsSMAS announcement

Sightings

  1. 202121 May

    Unveiled by SMAS

  2. 202224 Jan

    Photo on Street Art Utopia

  3. 20231 Dec

    Blog photos, Arca de Darwin

  4. 202329 Dec

    Street Art Cities photo

  5. 202425 Jan

    Komoot photo uploaded

  6. 202527 Dec

    Marked as seen

  7. 20264 Oct

    In Made From What?

Every stamp links to the dated source. Green stamps are dated photos or sightings of the wall; amber stamps are news or publications about the work. The December 2023 dates are the photos’ camera dates; the 2025 stamp is a “seen” mark in the Street Art Cities record, without a photo.

On the record

SMAS de Sintra21 May 2021

SMAS de Sintra inauguram obra de arte de Bordalo II

“A ideia passa por representar uma imagem da natureza, neste caso os animais, construída com aquilo que a destrói”

Bordalo II: “The idea is to represent an image of nature, in this case animals, built from what destroys it.” The utility’s release adds that the artist is the grandson of the painter Real Bordalo.

Read

SMAS de Sintra21 May 2021

The artist on the commission

“Os SMAS de Sintra são um excelente parceiro e é com grande estima e orgulho que produzimos esta peça para o seu 75.º aniversário, representando um animal tão nobre como a entidade que o vai acolher”

Bordalo II: “SMAS de Sintra are an excellent partner, and it is with great esteem and pride that we made this piece for its 75th anniversary, representing an animal as noble as the body that will host it.”

Read

Green Savers21 May 2021

Bordalo II: Criação artística de falcão-peregrino inaugurada em Sintra

“A fachada das Instalações Oficinais da Portela, em Sintra, ganhou um novo propósito; nela está agora exibida a nova obra do artista Bordalo II, um falcão-peregrino feito de lixo.”

“The façade of the Portela workshops in Sintra has a new purpose; it now shows the new work by the artist Bordalo II, a peregrine falcon made of rubbish.”

Read

Arca de Darwin (blog)4 December 2023

“Falcão-peregrino», de Bordalo II, em Sintra

“Neste caso, por exemplo, é possível identificar um pneu velho que forma o olho do falcão, ou uma tampa de caixote do lixo no peito da ave.”

“In this case, for example, you can make out an old tyre forming the falcon’s eye, or a rubbish-bin lid in the bird’s chest.” The post, with seven photos, says the work is on Avenida Almirante Gago Coutinho.

Read

The facts

Artist
Bordalo II, the artist name of Artur Bordalo, who lives and works in Lisbon; signed “BORDALO II” on the wall (SMAS de Sintra, bordaloii.com, Street Art Cities, Arca de Darwin) Checked
Subject
A peregrine falcon (falcão-peregrino, Falco peregrinus), a bird of prey resident in the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park (SMAS de Sintra, Arca de Darwin). Street Art Utopia’s 2022 caption and the Komoot listing call it a “Hawk” Checked
Title
No formal title was announced. Street Art Cities lists it as “Falcão-Peregrino” and the Arca de Darwin blog as “Falcão-peregrino” (Street Art Cities, Arca de Darwin) Reported
Series
Big Trash Animals (SMAS de Sintra, Green Savers) Checked
Unveiled
Friday 21 May 2021, for the 75th anniversary of SMAS de Sintra and the eve of International Biodiversity Day (SMAS de Sintra, Sintra Notícias, Green Savers) Checked
Commissioned by
SMAS de Sintra (Serviços Municipalizados de Água e Saneamento de Sintra), the municipal water, sewage and waste service (SMAS de Sintra) Checked
Building
A façade of the SMAS workshops at Portela (Instalações Oficinais da Portela) (SMAS de Sintra, Sintra Notícias, Green Savers) Checked
Address
SMAS, Sintra Notícias and Arca de Darwin give Avenida Almirante Gago Coutinho, and OpenStreetMap places both map points for the work on that avenue in Ouressa, Mem Martins (OpenStreetMap). Street Art Cities gives “Av. Movimento das Forças Armadas 130” Conflicting
Materials
Plastic and other waste, with spray paint; an old tyre forms the eye and a bin lid sits in the chest (Green Savers, Arca de Darwin) Reported
Size
Not reported Unconfirmed
Photo
First published on Street Art Utopia on 24 January 2022; photographer and date taken not known Unconfirmed
Status
Listed as active on Street Art Cities, with dated photos from 1 and 29 December 2023 and a last “seen” mark on 27 December 2025 (Street Art Cities, Arca de Darwin). We found no dated photo from 2025 or 2026 Checked

Related

All sources (9)

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Background

Artwork File · Last checked 5 October 2026 · Certainty labels follow How We Verify Art · All Artwork Files