John James Audubon, the namesake of Michigan Audubon and Audubon societies worldwide, earned his lasting reputation as a pioneer bird conservationist through his U.S. travels and avian research in the early 1800s, but foremost as the author and illustrator of Birds of America. Begun in 1820, but not completed until 1838, the publication featured 435 hand-colored, life-size prints-1,065 birds and 489 species in all-of what at the time was believed to be every type of bird known in the country.

Characterized as an artist who was a self-taught scientist, Audubon is credited with discovering 25 species and 12 subspecies of birds. Also, by tying colored yarn to the legs of phoebes, he was the first to use banding as a means of studying bird migration patterns.

Though Audubon is thought of as a distinctly American individual, he was born in Saint Domingue (Haiti, today) in 1785, then raised in France until 1803, when he was sent to Mill Grove, Pennsylvania to run a family-owned estate. He tried his hand at a number of occupations, including teacher, salesman and storekeeper, but his artistic hobbies, especially collecting and sketching birds and bird habitat, were ever present. Around 1820, he began to focus on the idea of publishing his illustrations, which eventually led to Birds of America.

A brief biography on the national Audubon's website references John James Audubon's "deep appreciation and concern for conservation," pointing out that in later writings "he sounded the alarm about destruction of birds and habitats." He died in 1851 in New York City, his home for the last nine years of his life.

To discover more visit these web sites:

John James Audubon: The American Woodsman: Our Namesake and Inspiration (Audubon)

John James Audubon (National Gallery of Art)

John James Audubon: Drawn From Nature (American Masters, PBS)