The Birds That Audubon Missed: Discovery and Desire in the American Wilderness

(Hardback)

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Renowned naturalist Kenn Kaufman examines the scientific discoveries of John James Audubon and his artistic and ornithologist peers to show how what they saw (and what they missed) reflects how we perceive and understand the natural world.

Raging ambition. Towering egos. Competition under a veneer of courtesy. Heroic effort combined with plagiarism, theft, exaggeration, and fraud. This was the state of bird study in eastern North America during the early 1800s, as a handful of intrepid men raced to find the last few birds that were still unknown to science.

The most famous name in the bird world was John James Audubon, who painted spectacular portraits of birds. But although his images were beautiful, creating great art was not his main goal. Instead, he aimed to illustrate (and write about) as many different species as possible, obsessed with trying to outdo his rival, Alexander Wilson. George Ord, a fan and protg of Wilson, held a bitter grudge against Audubon for years, claiming he had faked much of his information and his scientific claims. A few of Audubons birds were pure fiction, and some of his writing was invented or plagiarized. Other naturalists of the era, including Charles Bonaparte (nephew of Napoleon), John Townsend, and Thomas Nuttall, also became entangled in the scientific derby, as they stumbled toward an understanding of the natural worldan endeavor that continues to this day.

Despite this intense competition, a few speciesincluding some surprisingly common songbirds, hawks, sandpipers, and moremanaged to evade discovery for years. Here, renowned bird expert and artist Kenn Kaufman explores this period in history from a new angle, by considering the birds these people discovered and, especially, the ones they missed. Kaufman has created portraits of the birds that Audubon never saw, attempting to paint them in that artists own stunning style, as a way of examining the history of natural sciences and nature art. He shows how our understanding of birds continues to gain clarity, even as some mysteries persist from Audubons time until ours.

Reviews

Praise for A Season on the Wind: Inside the World of Spring Migration

The author exuberantly describes the incredible feat of these migrants as they follow instinct to return to their breeding grounds. . . . In this generous book, the author offers keen observations and informed description and invites us to share his enthusiasm. We learn wonderful expressions. . . . We witness the tiny miracle of a wren whose feathers sport a wilderness of browns and the grand silence of the wild open sky as a hundred bald eagles come in to roost at dusk in late February. Wall Street Journal

A naturalist and conservationist with a self-confessed obsession with bird migration shares his love and knowledge. . . . He thrills to be outdoors in all weather, hearing and seeing birds, rejoicing in their presence, and he allows readers to share both his joy and his concerns. Highly readable and thoroughly enjoyable for all lovers of nature books. Kirkus Reviews

Nature-loving readers will be moved by Kaufmans detailed look at a fascinating yearly process. . . . Thanks to the authors firsthand experiences and deep knowledge of his subject, readers will learn about winged migration and better understand the significant threats to bird environments covered in this thoughtful, informative book. Publishers Weekly

Kenn Kaufman knows his birds and their miraculous journeysand hefeelsthem deeply, too.An enlightening, thought-provoking, and poignant read. Jennifer Ackerman, author ofThe Genius of Birds

Praise for Kingbird Highway

This story is told so naturally that I felt I was in the presence of a mind that is completely original. Tracy Kidder

There are, of course, plenty of birds here, from the everyday to the extremely rare, but Kaufman also providesin a winning, plain-spoken prose stylea book that covers the fine art of hitchhiking, crackling landscapes, and sharp profiles of other birders. . . . One can only marvel at how determined he was (he eventually counted 666 species) and at the purity of his enterprise. . . . For Kaufman, the pleasure now lies not in lists but in simply watching attentively. He makes us understand the joys of both in this frank, passionate book. Kirkus Reviews

A fascinating memoir of an obsession with birds. Booklist

Author Bio

An avid naturalist since the age of six, Kenn Kaufman burst onto the national birding scene as a teenager in the 1970s, hitchhiking all over North America in pursuit of all the bird species he could findan adventure chronicled in his cult-classic bookKingbird Highway. After several years as a professional tour leader, taking birding groups to all seven continents, he transitioned to a career as a writer, illustrator, and editor. He is among the youngest persons ever to receive the highest honor of the American Birding Associationand the only person to receive it twice. He has authored or coauthored thirteen books about birds and nature, including his own series of Kaufman Field Guides. Since the 1980s, he has been an editor and consultant on birds for the National Audubon Society, and hes been a Fellow of the American Ornithological Society since 2013. Kenn lives in Oak Harbor, Ohio, with his wife, Kimberly Kaufman, who is also a dedicated naturalist and the director of a local bird observatory.