Herons and Shorebirds, c. 1810 by Alexander Wilson

Herons and Shorebirds, by Alexander Wilson A compact study of four wading birds gathered on a sandy shoreline: a dark reddish heron with long head plumes, a pale egret preening in the background, and two godwit-like shorebirds with rust-colored breasts working the tideline near a beached rowboat. Wilson, self-taught as a naturalist and illustrator, produced this plate for his pioneering nine-volume American Ornithology, the work that first documented hundreds of North American bird species in scientific detail.

Artist: Alexander Wilson (Scottish-American, 1766-1813). Date: circa 1810.

Herons and Shorebirds, by Alexander Wilson. Vintage Ornithological Wall Art Canvas Print.