Google Doodle celebrates birder Phoebe Snetsinger

WASHINGTON, June 9 (UPI) -- Google has honored famous birder Phoebe Snetsinger with a new Doodle animation highlighting her extensive work documenting birds all over the world.

In celebration of what would be the hobbyist's 85th birthday, Thursday's animated Doodle sees Snetsinger excitedly watching and noting her observations of several birds including the blackburnian warbler, red-shouldered vanga, village weaverbird, eastern bluebird, and red-capped manakin.

Snetsinger, who started birding extensively after being diagnosed with cancer in 1981, is famously known for having seen at least 8,393 different species of birds. At the time, there was only about 9,000 known species.

"Today, we celebrate the courage of Ms. Snetsigner, and the beauty of life -- however hidden it may be," Google said in its explanation of its latest Doodle.

While documenting birds in Madagascar in 1999, Snetsinger died at the age of 68 in a crash when a van she was riding overturned. The final bird she documented was the red-shouldered vanga.