Oiseau de riz
1827-1838
John James Audubon captured the flashy male and camouflaged female 'Rice Bird'—now known as the Bobolink—in a moment of acrobatic flair. Perched on a branch heavy with red maple seeds, the male sings with his beak open while the female hangs almost upside down, a dynamic pose that broke the stiff traditions of earlier scientific illustration. Audubon named them 'Rice Birds' because flocks of them were notorious for devouring crops in the American South, making them enemies of farmers. This hand-colored engraving, part of his massive 'Birds of America' project, shows why he was obsessed with capturing birds in their wild, lively habitats rather than as stuffed specimens.
- Technique
- Hand-colored engraving
- Material
- Paper