What Is Moonbirds? The Iconic Pixel Owl NFT Collection

Moonbirds is one of the most recognizable names in the NFT world—a collection of 10,000 unique pixel-art owl avatars (often called "birbs" by the community) minted on the Ethereum blockchain.

Launched in April 2022 by the PROOF Collective (founded by entrepreneur Kevin Rose), Moonbirds exploded onto the scene as a blue-chip NFT project. The collection generated over $280 million in trading volume in its first weekend, quickly establishing itself as a must-have for collectors, creatives, and web3 enthusiasts.

The Art and Aesthetic

Each Moonbird is an 8-bit style, pixelated owl with a wide range of traits: fiery hair, eye patches, beaks, accessories like hats or glasses, backgrounds, and rare combinations that create scarcity and personality. The simple yet charming design draws from meme culture while feeling timeless—perfect for profile pictures (PFPs) and digital identity.

Holders can switch between the original pixelated art (fully on-chain, rendered directly from smart contracts) and an illustrated version, with the latter granting personal and commercial use rights.

Core Utility: Nesting and Community

Moonbirds pioneered innovative mechanics like nesting—a staking-like feature where holders lock their owls to earn rewards, increase rarity traits over time, and unlock exclusive perks. This encouraged long-term holding ("nesting" mentality) rather than quick flips.

The project offered:

• Access to a private community (the Lunar Society) for governance, events, and connections.
• Exclusive drops, including expansions like Mythics (a generative follow-up collection) and Oddities (companion items).
• Reward points called Talons for holding Moonbirds and related assets.
• On-chain utility focused on creativity, real connection, and contributing to web3 art and culture.

Moonbirds positioned itself as more than art: a home for collectors, dreamers, and builders in the NFT space.

Ownership Evolution and New Chapter

The project changed hands a few times. After starting with PROOF, it was acquired by Yuga Labs (creators of Bored Ape Yacht Club) in early 2024. In May 2025, Orange Cap Games (OCG)—a Web3 studio focused on games, toys, and collectibles—acquired the Moonbirds IP, including Mythics and Oddities.

Under OCG (led by CEO Spencer Gordon-Sand), Moonbirds is entering a fresh phase. The official site (moonbirds.com) announces "a new chapter" with Orange Cap Games bringing innovation, while preserving legacy features via a Legacy Portal for nesting, customization, and management on the original platform.

The vision expands Moonbirds into a broader phygital (physical + digital) media franchise, blending NFT ownership with real-world products like toys, trading cards (via integrations like Vibes TCG), and consumer experiences. OCG aims to make Moonbirds the "Pop Mart of Web3"—leveraging global distribution for physical collectibles to onboard mainstream users, backed by real revenue streams.

The $BIRB Token: Ecosystem Extension

Moonbirds has introduced $BIRB as its native ecosystem token, launched on the Solana blockchain to leverage its high speed, low fees, and meme-friendly environment. The Token Generation Event (TGE) occurred on January 28, 2026 (following a 24-hour "Birbathon" collaboration with Solana announced in late January).

$BIRB extends the Moonbirds brand into a broader tokenized economy, often described as the premier "phygital meme asset." It supports:

• Governance participation and community coordination.
• Ecosystem incentives, staking mechanisms, and rewards.
• Future integrations across Solana DeFi, gaming, and physical product redemptions.
• Alignment with the "Birbillions Thesis"—combining viral meme culture with scalable, revenue-backed growth from physical collectibles.

Token details (as of launch reports):

• Total/Max supply: 1 billion BIRB.
• Circulating supply at launch: Around 285 million BIRB (subject to updates).
• Positioning: A character-driven token tying digital IP to real-world utility, rather than pure speculation—aiming to bridge meme fun with corporate-level distribution and consumer activation.

The announcement drove significant hype, with Moonbirds NFT floor prices surging 10-19% (reaching ~2.5-2.7 ETH) in the lead-up. Trading started on platforms like WEEX (BIRB/USDT pair), with potential for broader listings. Pre-launch, the team distributed over 417,000 Soulbound Tokens (SBTs) to active wallets across Solana ecosystems (e.g., Jupiter, Meteora, Orca) to reward participation, though no explicit airdrop was confirmed.

Moonbirds stands out for its strong community ("birbish" culture), pioneering utility, and adaptability. From Ethereum roots to evolving under new leadership with $BIRB on Solana, it remains a symbol of commitment in web3—whether nesting digitally, exploring phygital expansions, or engaging with the token ecosystem.

Visit moonbirds.com for the latest, or check the Legacy Portal at proof.xyz/moonbirds. The community thrives on X (@moonbirds), where "stay birbish" captures the vibe.

This is not financial or investment advice—NFTs and tokens are volatile; always do your own research (DYOR).