Green and golden coucal
18th century
François Levaillant was a daring French explorer and ornithologist who trekked through South Africa in the late 1700s to document its wildlife. This illustration, the 'Coulou vert dore,' captures a bird with beautiful olive-green and brown feathers, speckled with white spots along its wings. Levaillant's books were famous for their hand-colored plates, which brought exotic birds to European audiences who had never seen them before. The bird perches elegantly on a rough branch, its curved beak hinting at its insect-eating habits, serving as a vibrant record of natural history from the Age of Enlightenment.
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