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Connections: Birding

Editor Dale Tucker attempts to identify the many species of birds depicted throughout The Met collection.
4 min. watch

"I think every birder has a secret fantasy of finding some lost or extinct species in his or her backyard. I'm certainly no different."

Editor Dale Tucker attempts to identify the many species of birds depicted throughout The Met collection.

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Art Mentioned

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Hummingbird and Apple Blossoms, Martin Johnson Heade American, Oil on canvas, American
Hummingbird and Apple Blossoms
Martin Johnson Heade
1875
Hummingbird and Passionflowers, Martin Johnson Heade American, Oil on canvas, American
Hummingbird and Passionflowers
Martin Johnson Heade
ca. 1875–85
Newburyport Meadows, Martin Johnson Heade American, Oil on canvas, American
Newburyport Meadows
Martin Johnson Heade
ca. 1876–81
Birds and Flowers of the Four Seasons, Pair of six-panel folding screens; ink, color, gold, and gold leaf on paper, Japan
Birds and Flowers of the Four Seasons
Japan
late 16th century
Sugar Loaf Islands, Farallons, Carleton E. Watkins American, Albumen silver print from glass negative
Sugar Loaf Islands, Farallons
Carleton E. Watkins
1868–69
Feathered Tunic, Chimú artist(s), Cotton, feathers, Chimú
Feathered Tunic
Chimú artist(s)
1400 - 1700 CE
Earflare with Condor, Silver, gold, gilded copper, shell, Moche
Earflare with Condor
Moche
6th–7th century
Breastplate (Tema, Tambe, or Tepatu), Tridacna shell, turtle shell, trade cloth, fiber, Santa Cruz Islands
Breastplate (Tema, Tambe, or Tepatu)
Santa Cruz Islands
late 19th–early 20th century
Vulture vessel, Itzocan artist(s), Ceramic, Mexica (Aztec)
Vulture vessel
Itzocan artist(s)
1200–1521 CE
Pendant (Ulute or Papafita), Tridacna shell, fiber, pigment, Solomon Islander
Pendant (Ulute or Papafita)
Solomon Islander
19th–early 20th century
Hornbill Figure, Wood, paint, glass beads, metal, Iban people
Hornbill Figure
Iban people
late 19th–early 20th century
A Lyre Bird, Charles Meryon French, Graphite
A Lyre Bird
Charles Meryon
ca. 1846–55
A Lady Feeding a Bird, Charles Martin French, Pen and ink, watercolor, and lead white on laid paper.
A Lady Feeding a Bird
Charles Martin
1913
The Magic Bird (Der Wundervogel), Josef Diveky Hungarian, Color lithograph
The Magic Bird (Der Wundervogel)
Josef Diveky
Wiener Werkstätte
1911
Peacocks, Melchior d' Hondecoeter Dutch, Oil on canvas
Peacocks
Melchior d' Hondecoeter
1683
Tile with Image of Phoenix, Stonepaste; modeled, underglaze painted in blue and turquoise, luster-painted on opaque white ground
Tile with Image of Phoenix
late 13th century
"Red-Headed Vulture and Long-Billed Vulture", Folio from the Shah Jahan Album, Mansur, Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
"Red-Headed Vulture and Long-Billed Vulture", Folio from the Shah Jahan Album
Mansur
Mir 'Ali Haravi
verso: ca. 1615–20; recto: ca. 1535–45
"The Concourse of the Birds", Folio 11r from a Mantiq al-Tayr (Language of the Birds), Habiballah of Sava Iranian, Ink, opaque watercolor, gold, and silver on paper
"The Concourse of the Birds", Folio 11r from a Mantiq al-Tayr (Language of the Birds)
Habiballah of Sava
Farid al-Din `Attar
ca. 1600
Black Stork in a Landscape, Opaque watercolor on European paper
Black Stork in a Landscape
ca. 1780
Plate with Pelican in her Piety, Brass, Netherlandish
Plate with Pelican in her Piety
Netherlandish
15th century
Side Drum, Ernest Vogt American, Wood, calf skin, rope, American
Side Drum
Ernest Vogt
ca. 1864