Bronze birds -- 181 of them -- have recently landed in the Canal Street subway station at Sixth Avenue, where the A, C and E lines stop. Some are clustered on the railings in the mezzanine, and others are perched on turnstiles.

The birds are the work of Walter Martin and Paloma Muñoz, New York sculptors who were commissioned to create them for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Arts for Transit program, a 16-year-old initiative that spends more than $1 million a year on art throughout the New York City transit system.

''One percent of all subway restorations are set aside for art,'' said Sandra Bloodworth, director of Arts for Transit.

A panel of arts professionals selects the artists.

Mosaics are a popular material for subway art because of their durability. So is faceted glass, which has been used on outdoor stations. Bronze, too, holds up well.

''The birds are both magical and whimsical,'' Ms. Bloodworth said, ''which is always good for transit.''

Before Christmas, about 25 of Tom Otterness's lovable bronze creatures were installed in the 14th Street subway station of the A, C, E and L lines, at Eighth Avenue, in a work called 'Art Underground.''

Thirty more are to be added over the summer. CAROL VOGEL