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Last night I thought it would make a fascinating study to show the Audubon Bird Plates (which are gorgeous - we saw a display at the New York History museum this last year) and then next to it, put two data plagues. The first showing original and current ranges. The second showing the population change since the paintings were done.
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Here is the Carolina Parakeet. The northern most ranging parakeets. They were once found as far north as New York and Wisconsin. There were probably millions of them - almost a million in Florida alone.
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There are now zero. They went extinct in 1916. My guess is that a lot of Audubon's birds have been lost (besides the famous Passenger Pigeon) - but I am guessing. Maybe they have thrived. I know that damned Canada Goose is everywhere and leaves turds bigger than Trevor's.
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Anyway, here is a copy of Audubon's Plate of the Carolina Parakeet - note there are parakeets in the wild now in California and some other areas, but they are feral (escaped) pets. They were beautiful.
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