Pam the Bird is a graffiti tag that has appeared widely throughout Melbourne since 2023. A cartoon bird, Pam the Bird has gained noteriety for its abundance and high-profile locations, from buildings and freeway signs to heritage-listed sites such as Flinders Street railway station and the Clifton Hill Shot Tower. After a police investigation that began in January 2024, the tag's alleged creator and an accomplice were arrested in January 2025. A court case is ongoing.

In September 2022, 18-year-old Jack Gibson-Burrell was arrested on the Gold Coast, Queensland, after he spray painted a rail worker in the face at Park Road railway station. The man had caught Gibson-Burrell spray painting a large bird at Park Road railway station. Gibson-Burrell was charged with 24 offences and placed on two-year probation.^[1] When queried by reporters outside court, he squawked like a bird.^[2]

Journalists retroactively described Gibson-Burrell's tag as an instance of "Pam the Bird".^[2][3] Reports of Pam the Bird in Melbourne date back to at least 2023.^[a] That year, the grafitti tag became well-known as a common sight not just along train lines and tram routes, but also on the trains themselves.^[2][5] It also appeared on other prominent locations, such as the back of West Gate Freeway signs. Herald Sun reported that social media pages had emerged following Pam the Bird. Some videos depicted vandals performing dangerous stunts to spray paint the bird, including by hanging off a bridge.^[2] The Instagram account @goodbirdart, which is obstensibly run by a third party, regularly posts behind-the-scenes Pam the Bird content,^[3] and has amassed over 70,000 followers.^[6]

In January 2024, Victoria Police began an investigation into Pam the Bird.^[7] It was led by Senior Constable Scott Nicholls.^[8]

In the later months of 2024, Pam the Bird's range expanded out of Melbourne's west.^[8] It received media attention following an incident on 10 July 2024 in which a clock tower at Flinders Street railway station near Elizabeth Street was defaced with graffiti.^[9][10] Several other high-profile vandalism incidents attributed to Pam the Bird attracted news attention, including vandalism of a Novotel hotel in the inner Melbourne suburb of South Wharf on 20 January 2025, the Cheese Stick sculpture over the CityLink tollway, the offices of the Nine Network in Docklands, the Uncle Tobys silo in West Footscray, the Clifton Hill Shot Tower and Comeng train carriages operated on the Melbourne suburban rail network.^[10][7][11] Police stated that Pam the Bird made heavy use of abseiling to conduct graffiti activities.^[12]

Pam the Bird is a graffiti tag consisting of a side view of a cartoon bird. In court, Nicholls said, "We typically see this bird graffiti has a sharp triangle pointed beak with a line that separates the upper and lower portion of the beak that approximately extends three quarters away from the tip". Pam the Bird varies widely: it may be coloured, embellished, or a simple outline. It is often accompanied by text,^[8] including "MP.", which The Age wrote was the name of a graffiti crew.^[3]

On 30 January 2025, Victoria Police arrested Jack Gibson-Burrell, a 21-year-old Yarraville resident who police allege is Pam the Bird's sole creator, and Matthew Raoul White, a 39-year-old alleged accomplice.^[7]A police investigation into Gibson-Burrell had begun in January 2024 which found evidence that people had been making suspicious visits to his home over a period of months. CCTV footage of the Novotel break-in added to police suspicions regarding Gibson-Burrell as the perpetrator of the vandalism.^[6] Gibson-Burrell was charged with 50 offences including criminal damage and shop theft,^[13] and a subsequent charge of intentionally causing injury was added following allegations Gibson-Burrell stabbed a man using a kitchen knife in 2024.^[6] Police also sought government assistance with organising a Federal Bureau of Investigation search warrant of Instagram with the goal of identifying Gibson-Burrell as the owner of @goodbirdart.^[6] White, the owner of the graffiti paint shop Bodega located in the suburb of Abbotsford, was charged with a total of 17 offences, including criminal damage.^[14]

On 25 February 2025, Gibson-Burrell attended Melbourne Magistrates' Court with the goal of being released on bail, having been on bail previously in 2023.^[15] This bail application was approved on 27 February 2025, with conditions including living with his grandmother in East Geelong, a curfew at night, not being in possession of equipment related to graffiti or abseiling and an AU$30,000 surety paid by friend Finlay Dale.^[15]

The total worth of the damage allegedly caused by Gibson-Burrell was estimated to be over AU$200,000.^[15][6]

The Lord Mayor has condemned Pam the Bird.

• @goodbirdart, an Instagram account potentially associated with Pam the Bird's creators