These men carry towers of birds through Mexico's streets. They say their tradition is dying out.

Mexico Bird Vendors - (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

For 32 years, Cruz Monroy has walked the streets of a small town on the fringes of Mexico's capital with a tower of small cages filled with a rainbow of birds.

The melodies of red cardinals, green and blue parakeets and multicolored finches fill the days of “pajareros,” or street bird vendors, like him.