Fish crow
1827-1838
Audubon famously shot his subjects and wired them into lifelike poses to capture their 'true' character, a gruesome but effective method. In this dramatic scene, two glossy black Fish Crows navigate the hanging seed pods of a honey locust tree. The lower bird grips a crab in its talons—a nod to their coastal diet—while the upper bird spreads its wings in a theatrical display. This illustration is part of his monumental 'Birds of America' project, a massive undertaking that required him to travel the wild American frontier to document over 400 species.
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