John James Audubon Wildlife Artist Explored the natural history (wildlife and land) of much of the central and eastern United States Painted almost 500 species of the 700 or so regularly found in North America Loved to observe and paint birds in their natural habitats

Audubon spent much of his life traveling the continent observing the birds (and animals) in remarkable depth and detail. He studied the creatures and took note of the birds' food and habitat preferences meticulously. He watched them move, interact, and behave. He strove for action and reality; this was a new approach to the painting of birds.

Wildlife Artist: He didn’t just paint for expression, but wanted to paint birds accurately. His paintings became a scientific reference for how the different species look and act. Determined to do what no artist had done before: He painted birds in their natural habitats- eating, flying, and raising young. He painted birds life sized. Audubon conducted the first known bird-banding experiment in North America. By tying strings around the legs of Eastern Phoebes; he learned that the birds returned to the very same nesting sites each year.

Notice in the painting "Green Heron," that Audubon shows us not only an adult male but also appropriate botanicals and a Luna Moth.

Like his peers, Audubon was an avid hunter, but he also had a deep appreciation and concern for conservation; in his later writings he sounded the alarm about destruction of birds and habitats.

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