If you've been in L.A. in recent months you may have noticed the painted, plywood birds hanging from power lines above prominent intersections. They're ubiquitous; there are over 200 of them.

And if you've preserved in yourself some living spark of inquisitiveness--and we suspect you have--you might wonder how they all got there, what the padlocks at the end are about, and what it all means.

Some of those questions, at least, will be answered in this interview with Berd.

As for the padlocks:
"Q: With the birds I've seen in my neighborhood, there's a padlock at the other end of the string they hang from. What's that about?
A: The padlock is part of the meaning of the bird and also a counterweight. So it essentially has two functions."