Northern Mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos

Here Audubon captures the fierce nature of Mockingbirds in defense of their nest. As both naturalist and hunter Audubon's work exhibits the brutal reality of nature with great dynamism.

This image (Plate 21) was published life-size in Audubon's first edition magisterial "The birds of America", where the scale and the subtle tones of aquatint etching emphasised both the perils and vigour of nature.