Birds: The Art of Ornithology by Rizzoli International Publications



. .

 . Chestnut-bellied Cuckoo Hyetornis pluvialis Sarah Stone

 . White-throated Toucan Ramphastos tucanus Sarah Stone

c.1788.Watercolour. 248mm x 350mm (93⁄4in x 133⁄4in)

This is one of two cuckoo species endemic to the island of Jamaica. Called by Sarah Stone the ‘Rain Cuckow’, and still known by this name in Jamaica, it is also known locally as ‘Old Man Bird’, referring to its hoarse cackling calls and the silvery-grey ‘beard’ on its chest.The other endemic species, the Jamaican Lizard-Cuckoo, is called ‘Old Woman Bird’, due to its longer, sharper beak and higher-pitched cackle!

The specimen of this bird in the Leverian Museum was acquired by Lord Stanley for his museum at Knowsley Hall, near Liverpool, England.This is a relatively common toucan, found across a huge area of northern South America, and is an important ‘indicator species’, whose declines locally can alert conservationists to habitat degradation and fragmentation.

Age of Exploration



 . Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock (male) Rupicola rupicola Sarah Stone 1788.Watercolour. 474mm x 360mm (16 3⁄4 in x 141⁄4in)

Many artists have tried to do justice to the splendid male of this species, which is restricted to part of north-east South America; for its time, Sarah Stone’s attempt is impressive, conveying well the beauty of the glowing orange plumage and extraordinary half-moon crest. As with the Ruff (page 71), this finery is used to impress females at communal mating ‘leks’.

 . Western Crowned Pigeon Goura cristata Sarah Stone 1788.Watercolour. 474mm x 360mm (163⁄4 in x 141⁄4in)

This is one of three species of Crowned Pigeon, found only on the huge island of New Guinea and some of its offshore islands.These beautiful birds are the biggest of all living pigeons, the size of a turkey.After the Leverian Museum was sold, one of the exhibits of this species was eventually bought in 1818 by George Shaw of the British Museum. It was said that when alive, it had been owned by George IV’s wife Queen Charlotte, who presented it to the Leverian Museum. . .

. .

. .

Age of Exploration



 . Banded Woodpecker Picus miniaceus Sydney Parkinson 1767.Watercolour. 324mm x 257mm (14in x 123⁄4in)

This thrush-sized woodpecker occurs in parts of Thailand, Burma, Sumatra, Borneo and Java. Parkinson has chosen to show his bird on a decaying tree trunk – a typical place to see this often rather unobtrusive species. It forages at all levels of the forest, from fallen logs to the bases of epiphytic plants high in the canopy.The adults raise the yellowtipped bushy crest when displaying to one another.

 . Indian Scops Owl Otus bakkamoena Sydney Parkinson 1767.Watercolour. 325mm x 258mm (123⁄4in x 101⁄4in)

This attractive little owl is widespread and quite common throughout much of the Indian subcontinent. Like many other owls, it exists in different-colour morphs (forms). Parkinson has chosen the grey-brown morph to represent the species here.The feathery tufts above its eyes, although referred to as‘ear-tufts’, have nothing to do with hearing, but are likely to be used in courtship and other displays. . .



BIRDS The Art of Ornithology

. .

 . Little Green Bee-eater Merops orientalis Pieter Cornelis de Bevere

 . Asian Paradise-Flycatcher (male) Terpsiphone paradisi Pieter Cornelis de Bevere

c.1754–57.Watercolour. 246mm x 382mm (93⁄4in x 15in)

c.1752–57.Watercolour. 382mm x 251mm (15in x 10in)

This painting of a beautiful bird is typical of the attempts of many early bird artists to tackle the difficult task of illustrating a bird in flight, with very unlifelike results. Despite this, the bird is painted by de Bevere with his usual sensitivity.

The careful and harmonious design of this painting is typical of de Bevere’s work.The female and young lack the stunning tail streamers of the male, and have a chestnut back and wings; in the Sri Lankan race the male never acquires the almost all-white plumage of some other races.



. .



 . Common (or Asian) Koel (female) Eudynamys scolopacea Pieter Cornelis de Bevere c.1754–57.Watercolour. 214mm x 350mm (81⁄2in x 133⁄4in)

De Bevere would have heard as well as seen this common bird regularly in Sri Lanka, for it is one of the noisiest of all the birds of the region during the breeding season.The male’s song, uttered all day and often into the night, is a monotonously repeated sequence of shrill ‘koel’ notes that rise in pitch to reach a frantic climax.One of a number of species in the Cuckoo family that lays its eggs in the nests of other birds, leaving them to rear its young as their own.The female Common Koel chooses House Crows or Jungle Crows as its hosts.



 . Golden Oriole (male) Oriolus oriolus James Hope Stewart c.1825–35.Watercolour. 171mm x 106mm (63⁄4in x 41⁄4in)

A beautiful picture of a beautiful bird, this is also an accurate portrayal of the strikingly plumaged though elusive male Golden Oriole, in a typical setting high in a tree. Here, in life, it blends in surprisingly well with the sun-dappled foliage. As well as painting many illustrations such as this one for Sir William Jardine, for which he was paid one guinea each, Stewart also earned extra money by putting the finishing touches to the watercolours of other artists and filling in backgrounds.

 . Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis James Hope Stewart c.1825–35.Watercolour. 172mm x 106mm (6 3⁄4in x 41⁄4in)

One of the most attractive members of the finch family, the multicoloured Eurasian Goldfinch has a finer bill than many of its relatives. Its agile tweezer-like tips are perfectly suited for tweaking out the fine downy seeds from the fruiting heads of thistles, a natural adaptation reflected in Stewart’s portrait.

. .

. .



 . Rufous Treepie Dendrocitta vagabunda Anonymous

Hardwicke/Campbell collection 1822.Watercolour. 251mm x 382mm (10in x 15in)

This is one of the most familiar of all Indian birds, often seen feeding and nesting in trees in city parks, large gardens and villages as well as in wilder areas. Its loud, harsh calls and penetrating, more flute-like, three-note ‘song’ are one of the quintessential sounds of the Indian countryside.The first syllable of the name ‘treepie’ refers to the tree-dwelling habits of this bird and its close relatives; the second is pronounced ‘pye’ rather than ‘pee’, as with the other long-tailed members of the crow family, the magpies.



 . Flame Bowerbird (male & female) Sericulus aureus John Gould c.1875–88. Hand-coloured lithograph. 548mm x 364mm (211⁄2in x 141⁄4in)

Among the many beautiful plates in The Birds of New Guinea are those showing the birds of paradise and the bowerbirds.This one shows two males (immature in front) of one of the island’s scarcer species. The male builds a bower of sticks to attract a female (rear of picture) to mate with him, his brilliant plumage glowing in the gloom of the forest.

 . Resplendent Quetzal (male & female) Pharomachrus moccino John Gould 1838. Hand-coloured lithograph. 969mm x 347mm (381⁄4in x 133⁄4in)

This lithograph by John Gould of one of the most beautiful birds in the world appears in the first edition of her husband’s A monograph of the Trogonidae, or Family of Trogons.The male’s tail is so long that a special folded double page was needed to accommodate it.The second edition featured a different painting by William Hart in which the tail curled up over the bird’s head.

. .

. .



BIRDS The Art of Ornithology

 . Asian Paradise-Flycatcher (male, above, & female) Terpsiphone paradisi Margaret Bushby Lascelles Cockburn 1858.Watercolour. 254mm x 201mm (10in x 8in)

Many artists have been drawn to illustrating this beautiful, strikingly plumaged bird, one of the most charismatic of all Asian songbirds. It is one of the more abundant of the fourteen species of paradise-flycatcher found in Africa, Madagascar and Asia; some, such as the Seychelles and Caerulean Paradise-Flycatchers, are among the rarest of the world’s birds.

 . Vernal Hanging-Parrot Loriculus vernalis Margaret Bushby Lascelles Cockburn 1858.Watercolour. 254mm x 201mm (10in x 8in)

The name ‘lovebird’is now restricted to the exclusively African species of small parrots that are most familiar as cage birds.The bird shown here is one of the group of even smaller parrots known today as hangingparrots, from their habit of hanging from a perch to sleep at night.This habit is characteristic of this group of birds, but not exclusive to them; it has been recorded in some other small parrots, including at least one lovebird species. . .

. .