Carolina Parrot - John James Audubon

A detailed hand-coloured aquatint of the extinct Carolina Parakeet from John James Audubon's The Birds of America.

This print originates from John James Audubon's monumental work, The Birds of America, published between 1827 and 1838. Plate 26 depicts the Carolina Parakeet, a species now extinct, shown here feeding on the fruit of the cocklebur plant. Audubon observed these birds in their natural habitat, capturing their social behaviour and physical characteristics with scientific precision.

The composition arranges seven parrots across a network of branches. The birds are shown in various postures: some are perched, others are in flight, and several are actively feeding. Audubon used a combination of etching and aquatint, which was then finished with hand-applied watercolour. This technique allowed for the subtle gradation of colour on the birds' feathers, ranging from deep forest greens to the bright yellow and orange hues of their heads.

Audubon's approach to ornithological illustration differed from his predecessors. Rather than presenting birds in static, profile views, he depicted them in active, life-sized poses. This method provided a more complete understanding of the species. The inclusion of the cocklebur plant serves both a botanical and narrative purpose, documenting the diet of the parakeet. The print reflects the mid-nineteenth-century interest in taxonomy and the documentation of the natural world. The clean, cream-coloured background ensures that the focus remains entirely on the anatomical details and the interaction between the birds and their environment. This work remains a significant record of a species that disappeared from the wild in the early twentieth century.