In our experience, bird lovers fall into two general categories.
A cataloger with keen powers of observation, John James Audubon …
And we can’t help but assign anthropomorphic personalities and behaviors to Audubon’s 435 stars. birds of americaa wonderful collection of life-size watercolor prints he produced between 1827 and 1838.
Our suspicions have little to do with biology, but rather with a kind of enthusiastic expression, an over-emphasized beak, and a lanky twinkle in the eye.
of Audubon Society’s newly redesigned website Treasures abound for people on both sides.
You can download all 435 plates in high resolution for free.
MP3 of each specimen’s call.
and a vintage commentary that effectively splits the difference between science and unintentionally humorous dialogue from another era.
for example, burrowing owlas explained by a self-taught naturalist thomas say (1787–1834):
On sunny days, it’s a joy to watch these lively little creatures playing cheerfully at the entrance to their burrows. Burrows are always well maintained and are often inhabited by multiple individuals. When alarmed, they quickly take shelter in the basement. Alternatively, if no terrible danger is immediately imminent, they will stand near the entrance and bark bravely and extend their tails, or otherwise sit upright and scout the movements of their enemies.
ornithologist’s notes John Kirk Townsend (1809 – 1851) suggests that not everyone was as interested in this species as Say (to be fair, the father of American entomology).
There is nothing more unpleasant than this type of bagging because of the fleas that flock to its feathers. The fleas were probably left in the burrow by a badger or marmot when it was abandoned there. I don’t know of any other birds that have been affected by this type of pest.
of common gallinulethe above suggests that there is often more to these birds than meets the eye. His slightly embarrassed expression belies the red-hot love life that Audubon describes, as he says:
…The manifestation of their tastes was very remarkable. Male birds courted females both on land and in water. They frequently fanned out their tails, moved around each other, and uttered whispers for several seconds. The female then walked to the water’s edge, stood up to her chest in the water and was caressed by the male, and moments later she strode across the surface in front of him, twitching her outstretched tail rapidly for a moment before both resumed their normal tasks.
Since we’re firmly planted in the second type of bird fancier camp, this avian treasure trove primarily serves to whet our appetite for Falsenny, a beautifully illustrated webcomic by self-proclaimed bird nerd Joshua Berkman.
Yes, it’s Audubon. indigo bird, alias Petit Papebleu was “an active, lively little person,” “of great grace in figure, and of a certain degree of solidity.”mood indigo“–we suspect that’s the melody stuck in Berkman’s head–but he… do You look pretty into it, don’t you?
Maybe you’re just thinking about mealworms…
Explore Audubon american bird chronologically, alphabetically, or by state, and Download them all for free here.
Note: An earlier version of this post appeared on the site in 2019.
Related content:
Cornell University begins archiving 150,000 bird and animal sounds dating back to 1929
A lavishly illustrated catalog of all known hummingbird species from the 19th century has been restored and made available online.
What kind of bird is that?: Cornell University’s free app gives the answer
Explore an interactive version of The Wall of Birds, a 2,500 square foot mural documenting 375 million years of bird evolution
Bird Library: A library built especially for our wonderful feathered friends
Ayun Halliday I am a writer, illustrator, and theater maker living in New York.
Source: Open Culture – www.openculture.com
