Reading List: Birds and Fall Migration

It’s fall in New York, which means millions of birds are stopping through the city on their southward migration for winter, with some North American species flying as far as Central and South America. To celebrate these winged visitors, we have compiled a recommended reading list from the Frick Art Research Library highlighting birds in art.

From ornithological illustrations to explorations of depictions of birds throughout the world, these books call attention to the ways our feathery friends have and continue to inspire artists. All of the titles are available to consult in the library’s reading room. Register to visit us, after which you can wander through Central Park and keep an eye out for colorful migratory birds flitting through the trees.

1. Rare and Wondrous: Birds in Art and Culture, 1620–1820

By Paula Reich (2021)

Published in conjunction with an exhibition held at the Toledo Museum of Art, this catalogue investigates the growth of the field of ornithology, as European exploration and colonialism exposed people across the world to more birds than they had ever seen before. Featuring ornithological illustrations, paintings, and decorative arts objects, this volume represents the extent to which birds fascinated artists throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

2. Birds: The Art of Ornithology

By Jonathan Elphick (2004)

Explore the history of bird art and ornithological illustration with this book showcasing collections from the Natural History Museum in London. Extensively covering the history of bird art in Europe—from lush oil paintings and depictions of fantastical birds from the seventeenth century through the practical scientific illustrations of the twentieth century—this book demonstrates how avian artworks evolved depending on the contexts in which they were created.

3. Feather and Brush: A History of Australian Bird Art

By Penny Olsen (2022)

Catch a flight to Australia with this captivating overview of the history of Australian bird art. Featuring the work of over one hundred artists, the book details the various approaches to documenting and capturing in art the hundreds of unique birds that live on the Australian continent. The works covered extend through the contemporary period, allowing readers to see how birds continue to inspire the imaginations of artists today.

4. Birds of the World: The Art of Elizabeth Gould

By Andrea Hart and Ann Datta (2023)

The work of British artist Elizabeth Gould (1804–1841) receives its long-overdue time in the sun in this comprehensive exploration of her beautiful bird illustrations. Gould frequently worked with her ornithologist husband, John Gould, to illustrate his publications and also produced plates for Charles Darwin’s The Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle. In her day, her art often went unnoticed and frequently uncredited. This volume corrects that wrong, examining the technical detail of Gould’s work that moved the field of ornithology forward and celebrating her remarkable ability to capture the spirit of birds in ink.

5. The Medieval Book of Birds: Hugh of Fouilloy’s Aviarium

By Willene B. Clark (1992)

Travel back to the medieval period through this translation of French cleric Hugh of Fouilloy’s twelfth-century moral treatise on birds, De avibus. In addition to the English translation, Willene B. Clark provides footnotes with additional context, information on specific birds represented, and details on the origins of their symbolic meanings. Hugh of Fouilloy’s illustrations are a marvelous example of an early attempt to present various species of birds on the page.

This book is also available online through the Internet Archive. You can also flip through a digital facsimile of one of De avibus’s original manuscripts via Harvard University’s Houghton Library.

6. Nature’s Palette: A Color Reference System from the Natural World

Published by Princeton University Press (2021)

Expanding on the 1814 color reference book Werner’s Nomenclature of Colours (available through the Internet Archive), this publication features hundreds of illustrations and color samples, exhibiting the richness of color in the known natural world. Included are hues derived from birds, like the green of a mallard’s head or the Dutch orange of a golden-crested wren. This enchanting volume allows readers to admire the dazzling array of birds’ coloring in a way that is not possible when observing them in their natural habitats.

7. Baby Bird Portraits: Watercolors in the Field Museum

By George Miksch Sutton (1998)

This short book highlights George Miksch Sutton’s watercolors of adorable baby birds held in the Field Museum in Chicago. Sutton was an ornithologist and illustrator, and through his works he sought to depict birds at all stages of life, notably demonstrating how their feathers change as they age. These watercolors capture the liveliness of the young birds—from the fuzziness of their plumage to the glint in their eyes—affording the reader a glimpse at these babies that are challenging to spot in the wild.

8. Kingfisher with Lotus Flower: Birds of Japan by Hokusai, Hiroshige and Other Masters of the Woodblock Print

By Anne Sefrioui (2022)

Dive into the world of Japanese woodblock prints with this set that showcases the history of the prints and the ways that nature, and birds in particular, profoundly influenced some of Japan’s most famous artists of the genre. The accordion-bound volume includes reproductions of woodblock prints—some in their entirety and others in close crops—offering readers the opportunity to come face to face with the details and vibrant colors of these works.

All photos by Joseph Coscia Jr., The Frick Collection