Birds of America
What can you learn about Audubon County by observing and investigating what you see?
John James Audubon was renowned for his beautiful bird paintings and published a book featuring 430 species.
Transcript
[Abby Brown] This beautiful city park is a great place to relax and enjoy the outdoors. You can also learn about a nature lover who inspired the name of this town and this county.
(Map marking Audubon County, Iowa, in the west central region of the state.)
(A portrait of John James Audubon. He has a slender build and a prominent hooked nose, high cheekbones and a strong jawline. He has long, flowing brown hair and a clean shaven face.)
John James Audubon was a famous artist, most notably for his Birds of America book. It documented more than 430 species of American birds with life-size paintings done by Audubon himself. He based his art on observations he made while traveling to see as many birds as he could. At the time of Audubon's death in 1851, the Iowa legislature was naming some of our state's counties. Because he was so well known at the time, Audubon County was named in his honor. This city park has a bronze statue of John James Audubon and over 200 pieces of bird art laid in brick pathways throughout the park and downtown Audubon too. John James Audubon became one of our country's most famous wildlife artists. His life's work is still honored today here in Audubon, Iowa. Every county in Iowa is feathered with interesting stories to tell. Hope you enjoyed Audubon County.
Funding for FIND Iowa has been provided by The Coons Foundation, Pella andGilchrist Foundation.