Plate 288
Havell CCCLIX
Say’s Phoebe
(Sayornis saya)
Western Kingbird
(Tyrannus verticalis)
Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher
(Muscivora forficate)
This group of birds was painted during the winter of 1836-37 in Charleston. Say’s phoebe is represented by the two specimens at the top, the western kingbird by the birds at center and lower right, and the scissor-tailed flycatcher by the specimen at lower left. All of the birds were drawn from specimens collected in the West by Townsend and Nuttall. Audubon was probably assisted in drawing the birds by his younger son, John. Maria Martin contributed the insects and the branches of what appears to be an umbrella-tree.
This print was chosen to display by a library staff member because “the scissor-tailed flycatcher is the iconic state bird of Oklahoma, where I grew up.”
Source: The Original Water-Color Paintings by John James Audubon. Copyright 1966 by American Heritage Publishing Co., Inc.
Learn more about this print on the National Audubon Society's website.