American White Pelican, “The Birds of America,” first octavo edition, Plate 422, 1840-1844, John James Audubon, hand-colored lithograph, 10 inches high, Joel Rynning, 2003.8.55.
A hand-colored lithograph featuring an American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) against an overcast sky. Unlike the brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis), the American white pelican catches its prey while swimming instead of diving into the water from the air.