Audubon Anhinga Pair 1863

An early Anhinga mating pair piece for plate 316 of The Birds of America. This drawing shows a profile view of the male and the female with the image of the male nearly covering the female. The parallel pose is one frequently seen during the mating bond process and so is true to life. However, Audubon deemed the depiction ultimately chosen for the book preferable for its better view of the feather details of both the male and female of the species.