Audubon painted this strikingly exotic, even preposterous, bird in the Florida Keys during the Spring of 1832. Its singularly beautiful pink plumage was prized by the millinery trade; the popularity of its feathers for ladies' hats nearly led to its extinction a century after Audubon depicted it near a feeding spot. The creation of Everglades National Park provided a secure habitat and contributed to the resurgence of the Spoonbill population.

Audubon wrote, "The Roseate Spoonbill is found for the most part along marshy and muddy borders of estuaries, the mouths of rivers, pounds or sea islands or keys partially overgrown with bushes ... where they can reside and breed in perfect security in the midst of an abundance of food ... At the approach of the breeding season, these small flocks collect to form great bodies, as in the manner of ibises, and resort to their former places of residence, to which they regularly return, like herons."

Framing your Audubons

About John James Audubon

The 435 paintings in Audubon's Birds of America constitute the most important achievement of ornithological art.

Audubon combined artistic and scientific talent to produce images that are as beautiful as they are important for their recording of carefully observed ornithological detail. His unprecedented use of richly rendered natural environmental detail created striking contexts for his gracefully composed birds — all of which are presented in actual life size. Each image has the feel of a snapshot that captures a living moment.

Audubon's passion for ornithological discovery and observation led him to explore large swaths of 1820s and 1830s America, especially throughout the South and the Ohio River valley. In 1826 he brought his enormous folio of large-scale paintings to London where, from 1827 — 1838, they were engraved by Robert Havell & Son and hand-colored in an edition of approximately 200. King George IV of England, King Charles I of France, Daniel Webster and many important museums and institutions of higher learning were among the subscribers to this original publication.

Each Perfect Recreation™ is made from an exceptionally well-preserved Havell aquatint with rich, original hand color.

If you'd like to know a lot more about Audubon, there are two wonderful biographies available at Amazon.com:
Click here to buy John James Audubon: The Making of an American
Click here to buy Under a Wild Sky: Making of The Birds of America