Black warrior
1827-1838
John James Audubon refused to paint birds as stiff, boring specimens, preferring to capture them in dramatic action. In this plate, labeled 'Black Harrier' in elegant script at the bottom, he depicts the raptor in two striking poses: a sleek, dark figure perched majestically on a high branch, and a second bird leaning down with wings spread to reveal intricate white and grey feather patterns. Audubon famously used wires to pose dead birds to achieve these lifelike angles for his massive 'Birds of America' project. He named this specific bird after his friend William Harlan, though today ornithologists know it as Harlan's Hawk.