Cat Bird

by John James Audubon

Capture the drama and theater of early American wilderness within your home through this extraordinary recreation of the famous painting “Cat Bird” (Turdus felivox / Dumetella carolinensis), by one of the greatest painters of nature, John James Audubon. This piece was originally published in The Birds of America series, Plate 128.

Whereas most painters of nature limited their work to stiff drawings of creatures in profile, Audubon’s genius was that he painted nature in action. In this magnificent image, the male and female Gray Catbirds are depicted sitting on a dense mass of Southern Blackberry shrubs. The upper bird opens its mouth in mid-stride, mimicking its signature cat-like vocalizations or even delivering its rich and complex song, while the lower bird turns around, exposing its slate gray feathers, black cap, and rusty orange under-tail feathers. Behind the birds, one finds perfectly painted images of ripe and unripe black and red blackberries.