Belted kingfisher
1827-1838
John James Audubon brings the Belted Kingfisher to life in this dynamic plate from his masterpiece, The Birds of America. Notice the bird on the bottom right triumphantly holding a fish in its beak—that's actually the female, distinguished by her rusty-red chest band, a rare case in nature where the female is more colorful than the male! Audubon was famous for wiring up freshly killed birds into dramatic poses to capture them in action, breaking away from the stiff, profile views common in scientific illustrations of his time. This hand-colored engraving showcases his obsession with depicting birds in their natural habitats, complete with a scenic river backdrop.
- Technique
- Hand-colored aquatint engraving
- Material
- Paper
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