Colombian artist Diana Beltran Herrera has used paper to create these intricate models of tropical birds (+ slideshow).

Diana Beltran Herrera hand-makes the paper birds by building up layers to form the base structure, then glues on delicate feathers that are curled and splayed once attached.

"First I do a structure in paper. I have groups of feathers for the main body, tail, wings and head," Herrera told Dezeen. "I start to paste piece by piece. Final details are always the beak and eyes."

To finish, wire legs are added and feathers are painted to make the models as realistic as possible.

"For the legs I use wire and floral tape. Depending on the bird I paint each feather to get the right colour and design. Everything is hand work," she said.

Herrera uses photographs and her memory as references for the colours and forms.

"Some of the photos are mine, some are from bird lovers that share with me and others are just from magazines, books, internet," she told Dezeen. "I start by working vectors over images that later I print and use for the size of each single element in a bird."

So far the collection includes colourful exotic birds such as a flamingo, a crane, a blue heron and a quetzal, plus more common types like woodpeckers and jays.

Each model takes from 5 days to 2 weeks to complete depending on size and complexity.

Previously we've featured a series of paper accessories for turning balloons into animal heads and a set of decorative paper butterflies.

See more architecture and design with paper »
See all our stories that feature animals »