This historical survey tells the remarkable story of the development of bird art through the centuries. From the early, skilfully executed and decorative but often fanciful images of birds, to scientific illustrations produced during the ages of exploration, to modern approaches to capturing the essence of these freest of all creatures on the page or canvas. The outstanding selection of images from the unrivalled collection at the Natural History Museum includes exquisitely crafted works from some of the most famous natural history artists ever published including Audubon, Gould, MacGillivray, and Bauer. They are complemented by detailed, lively text, which interweaves ornithological science, art history, biography and travel. With fascinating details of the lives of both the artists and the birds they painted, a vivid picture is revealed. This landmark book will fascinate anyone interested in birds, natural history and art, and it is relaunched in a striking new format for autumn 2013.