Kritika Bala (also published as KB and KayBee) is an artist, author and wildlife advocate originally from India. A ‘fauji’ kid from a military family, she spent most of her young life in Mumbai where she attended high school and university. She continued her education in the United States, earning a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She eventually moved to Folsom, California, to work for Intel Corporation as a computer graphics hardware engineer. During this time, Kritika pursued passions outside of engineering, exploring the great outdoors and employing her art for wildlife and environment conservation.

In 2016, during a period of ill health, the birds found Kritika, providing inspiration and becoming an important part of her life. She began feeding and photographing the birds on her patio, which eventually led her to volunteer in wildlife rescue and rehabilitation. Since then, Kritika has been inspired by a new mission – raptor rehabilitation. She holds a California Naturalist certification and works with the California Raptor Center in Davis, California, and Gold Country Wildlife Rescue in Auburn, California. As part of her capstone project for her Naturalist certification, Kritika found her voice as an author, writing and illustrating children’s books about birds and offering a new perspective on the lives of our avian neighbors.

Through her work, Kritika hopes to inspire future generations to make our world a better place for humans and non-humans alike.