John James Audubon was a French American ornithologist, naturalist, and painter. He is known for his expansive studies to document all types of American birds and for his detailed illustrations that depicted the birds in their natural habitats. His major work, a color-plate book entitled The Birds of America (1827–1839), is considered one of the finest ornithological works ever completed. This monumental work consists of 435 hand-colored, life-size prints of 497 bird species, made from engraved