The Birds of America facts for kids

Illustration of Mourning Doves from The Birds of America

The Birds of America is a very famous book created by a talented artist named John James Audubon. He was a naturalist, meaning he studied nature, and also a great painter. This amazing book is filled with detailed pictures of many different birds found in the United States. It was first published a long time ago, between 1827 and 1838, in cities called Edinburgh and London.

What is The Birds of America?

This special book is known for its incredible illustrations. Each picture is hand-coloured, meaning someone carefully painted it by hand! The pictures are also life-size, showing the birds exactly as big as they are in real life. They were made from engraved plates, which are like metal stamps used to print images. Each print is very large, about 39 by 26 inches (or 99 by 66 centimeters).

Birds That Are Gone Forever

One of the most important things about The Birds of America is that it shows pictures of six birds that are now extinct. This means these birds no longer exist anywhere in the world. Audubon's book helps us remember what they looked like.

The extinct birds featured in the book include:

• The Carolina Parakeet
• The Passenger Pigeon
• The Labrador Duck
• The Great Auk
• The Esquimaux Curlew
• The Pinnated Grouse

These illustrations are a valuable record of these birds. They remind us how important it is to protect animals and their homes.

Images for kids

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  Plate 1 by John James Audubon depicting a wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo).

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  Carolina parakeet (Conuropsis carolinensis), now extinct

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  Prothonotary warbler (Protonotaria citrea) in plate 3

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  Furnishing fabric, from Lancashire, 1830s

See also

In Spanish: The Birds of America para niños