Citizen Bird
Scenes from Bird-Life in Plain English for Beginners, a Critical Edition
Published on 13. May 2025
Book
Hardback
466 pages
978-1-9788-3707-2 (ISBN)
Description
In the late nineteenth century, American bird lovers faced a crisis. Bird species were becoming endangered or even extinct at an alarming rate, and old methods of hunting and collecting specimens accelerated the process. A new conservationist approach to birding was necessary, and it needed to be taught to the next generation of Americans. Thus 1897's Citizen Bird, the first birding guide for children, was born. A tremendously influential text in the Progressive-era United States, it inspired in a generation of schoolchildren a love of wild birds and the desire to protect them.
Born of a collaboration between naturalist Mabel Osgood Wright, ornithologist Elliott Coues, and bird artist Louis Agassiz Fuertes, the book is vital to the history of birding and the broader study of nineteenth-century American culture and literature. This new edition of Citizen Bird preserves the original book's 111 drawings and adds explanatory footnotes, supplemental historical material, and a new introduction. More than a century and a quarter after its original publication, Elizabeth Cherry and Meghan Freeman contextualize the book in the tradition and history of birding and discuss the roles of its authors and illustrator in birding history. A landmark text in the history of American conservationism, Citizen Bird is a timeless classic that will bring joy to birdwatchers of all ages.
Born of a collaboration between naturalist Mabel Osgood Wright, ornithologist Elliott Coues, and bird artist Louis Agassiz Fuertes, the book is vital to the history of birding and the broader study of nineteenth-century American culture and literature. This new edition of Citizen Bird preserves the original book's 111 drawings and adds explanatory footnotes, supplemental historical material, and a new introduction. More than a century and a quarter after its original publication, Elizabeth Cherry and Meghan Freeman contextualize the book in the tradition and history of birding and discuss the roles of its authors and illustrator in birding history. A landmark text in the history of American conservationism, Citizen Bird is a timeless classic that will bring joy to birdwatchers of all ages.
Reviews / Votes
"In this successful annotated edition, Cherry and Freeman supply crucial scholarly apparatus, providing readers with the explanations and context they need to appreciate this engaging work and the work and career of Mabel Osgood Wright." - Mark V. Barrow, Jr. (author of Nature's Ghosts: Confronting Extinction from the Age of Jefferson to the Age of Ecology)"This volume makes a valuable contribution to a variety of fields. It will be of great appeal to scholars for both research and pedagogical purposes, and rescues Mabel Osgood Wright from historical amnesia. Scholars, educators, birders, and nascent naturalists benefit from this well-illustrated field guide complemented by the editors' compelling pedagogical materials." - Adam Shprintzen (author of The Vegetarian Crusade: The Rise of American Reform Movement 1817-1921)
More details
Edition
Critical Edition, Critical
Language
English
Place of publication
New Brunswick NJ
United States
Edition type
Critical edition
Product notice
Laminated cover
Illustrations
2 color and 118 B-W images
Dimensions
Height: 258 mm
Width: 182 mm
Thickness: 36 mm
Weight
957 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-9788-3707-2 (9781978837072)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
ELIZABETH CHERRY is a professor of sociology at Manhattanville University in Purchase, New York. She is the author of Culture and Activism: Animal Rights in France and the United States and For the Birds: Protecting Wildlife Through the Naturalist Gaze (Rutgers University Press).
MEGHAN FREEMAN is the fellowship and internship librarian at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, and she has taught and published on nineteenth-century literature, art, and culture.
MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT (1859-1934) founded the Connecticut Audubon Society and the Birdcraft Museum and Sanctuary in Connecticut, published several books on birds and birding, and helped revive and reestablish the National Audubon Society through her work as editor and writer for Bird-Lore, the precursor to Audubon Magazine. Her book Birdcraft: A Field Book of Two Hundred Song, Game, and Water Birds (1895) is widely regarded as the first true field guide for birds, and her book Citizen Bird: Scenes from Bird-Life in Plain English for Beginners (1897) is cited by the Library of Congress as a milestone in the conservation movement.
ELLIOTT COUES (1842-1899) was one of the founders, and later the president, of the American Ornithologists' Union (now the American Ornithological Society), published numerous books and scientific papers on ornithological topics, and edited the AOU's publication The Auk. His Key to North American Birds (1872), a highly regarded scientific bird identification manual, was revised and reprinted in six editions. One of the American Ornithological Society's most prestigious annual awards is named after Elliott Coues.
LOUIS AGASSIZ FUERTES (1874-1927) was a highly sought-after American bird illustrator, second in prominence today only to John James Audubon. He produced thousands of illustrations for many important works, including Merriam Bailey's Handbook of Birds of the Western United States (1902), Keyser's Birds of the Rockies (1902), Coues's Key to North American Birds (1903), Eaton's Birds of New York (1910-1914), and Forbush's Birds of Massachusetts (1925-1929). The Wilson Ornithological Society has named its most prestigious award after Louis Agassiz Fuertes.
MEGHAN FREEMAN is the fellowship and internship librarian at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, and she has taught and published on nineteenth-century literature, art, and culture.
MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT (1859-1934) founded the Connecticut Audubon Society and the Birdcraft Museum and Sanctuary in Connecticut, published several books on birds and birding, and helped revive and reestablish the National Audubon Society through her work as editor and writer for Bird-Lore, the precursor to Audubon Magazine. Her book Birdcraft: A Field Book of Two Hundred Song, Game, and Water Birds (1895) is widely regarded as the first true field guide for birds, and her book Citizen Bird: Scenes from Bird-Life in Plain English for Beginners (1897) is cited by the Library of Congress as a milestone in the conservation movement.
ELLIOTT COUES (1842-1899) was one of the founders, and later the president, of the American Ornithologists' Union (now the American Ornithological Society), published numerous books and scientific papers on ornithological topics, and edited the AOU's publication The Auk. His Key to North American Birds (1872), a highly regarded scientific bird identification manual, was revised and reprinted in six editions. One of the American Ornithological Society's most prestigious annual awards is named after Elliott Coues.
LOUIS AGASSIZ FUERTES (1874-1927) was a highly sought-after American bird illustrator, second in prominence today only to John James Audubon. He produced thousands of illustrations for many important works, including Merriam Bailey's Handbook of Birds of the Western United States (1902), Keyser's Birds of the Rockies (1902), Coues's Key to North American Birds (1903), Eaton's Birds of New York (1910-1914), and Forbush's Birds of Massachusetts (1925-1929). The Wilson Ornithological Society has named its most prestigious award after Louis Agassiz Fuertes.
Content
Chapter 1 Overture by the Birds
Chapter 2 The Doctor's Wonder Room
Chapter 3 A Sparrow Settles the Question
Chapter 4 The Building of a Bird
Chapter 5 Citizen Bird
Chapter 6 The Bird as a Traveller
Chapter 7 The Bird's Nest
Chapter 8 Beginning of the Bird Stories
Chapter 9 A Silver-Tongued Family
Bluebird-Robin- Wood Thrush-Wilson's
Thrush-Hermit Thrush-Olive-backed Thrush.
Chapter 10 Peepers and Creepers
Golden-crowned Kinglet-White-breasted
Nuthatch-Chickadee-Brown Creeper.
Chapter 11 Mockers and Scolders
Sage Thrasher-Mockingbird-Catbird-Brown Thrasher-
Rock Wren-House Wren-Long-billed Marsh Wren.
Chapter 12 Woodland Warblers
Black-and-white Warbler-Yellow Warbler-
Yellow-rumped Warbler-Ovenbird-Maryland
Yellow-throat-Yellow-breasted Chat-American Redstart.
Chapter 13 Around the Old Barn
Red-eyed Vireo-Great Northern Shrike-
Cedar Waxwing.
Chapter 14 The Swallows
Purple Martin-Barn Swallow-Tree Swallow-
Bank Swallow.
Chapter 15 A Brilliant Pair
Scarlet Tanager-Louisiana Tanager.
Chapter 16 A Tribe of Weed Warriors
Pine Grosbeak-American Crossbill-American
Goldfinch-Snowflake-Vesper Sparrow-White-
throated Sparrow-Chipping Sparrow-Slate-colored
Junco-Song Sparrow-Towhee-Cardinal-
Rose-breasted Grosbeak-Indigo Bird.
Chapter 17 A Midsummer Excursion
Bobolink-Orchard Oriole-Baltimore Oriole-
Cowbird-Red-winged Blackbird-Purple
Grackle-Meadowlark.
Chapter 18 Crows and Their Cousins
American Crow-Blue Jay.
Chapter 19 A Feathered Fisherman
The Osprey.
Chapter 20 Some Sky Sweepers
Kingbird-Phoebe-Wood Pewee.
Chapter 21 Hummers and Chimney Sweeps
Ruby-throated Hummingbird-Chimney Swift.
Chapter 22 Two Winged Mysteries
Nighthawk-Whip-poor-will.
Chapter 23 A Laughing Family
Downy Woodpecker-Red-headed Woodpecker-
Flicker-Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.
Chapter 24 Two Odd Fellows
Kingfisher-Yellow-billed Cuckoo.
Chapter 25 Cannibals in Court
Bald Eagle-Golden Eagle-Screech Owl-
Long-eared Owl-Snowy Owl-Great Horned
Owl-Marsh Hawk-Sharp-shinned Hawk-
Red-shouldered Hawk-Sparrow Hawk.
Chapter 26 A Cooing Pair
Passenger Pigeon-Mourning Dove.
Chapter 27 Three Famous Game Birds
Bob White-Ruffed Grouse-Woodcock.
Chapter 28 On the Shore
A Long-necked Family: Black-crowned Night
Heron-American Bittern-A Bonnet Martyr
and a Blue Giant-Snowy Egret-Great Blue Heron.
Chapter 29 Up the River
Turnstone-Golden Plover-Wilson's Snipe-
Spotted Sandpiper-Least Sandpiper-Virginia Rail.
Chapter 30 Ducks and Drakes
Wood Duck-Black Duck-Mallard-Pintail-
Green-winged Teal-Blue-winged Teal-
Redhead-Old Squaw-Hooded Merganser.
Chapter 31 Gulls and Terns at Home
Canada Goose-American Herring Gull-
Common Tern-Loon-Pied-billed Grebe.
Chapter 32 Chorus by the Birds
Chapter 33 Procession of Bird Families
Index of English Names
APPENDIX 1
Supplementary Material on Citizen Bird
APPENDIX 2
Historical Materials on Nineteenth-Century Birding and Audubon
APPENDIX 3
Other Works of Nineteenth-Century Nature Writing and Children's Literature
APPENDIX 4
Further Reading
Acknowledgments
About the Contributors
Index
Chapter 2 The Doctor's Wonder Room
Chapter 3 A Sparrow Settles the Question
Chapter 4 The Building of a Bird
Chapter 5 Citizen Bird
Chapter 6 The Bird as a Traveller
Chapter 7 The Bird's Nest
Chapter 8 Beginning of the Bird Stories
Chapter 9 A Silver-Tongued Family
Bluebird-Robin- Wood Thrush-Wilson's
Thrush-Hermit Thrush-Olive-backed Thrush.
Chapter 10 Peepers and Creepers
Golden-crowned Kinglet-White-breasted
Nuthatch-Chickadee-Brown Creeper.
Chapter 11 Mockers and Scolders
Sage Thrasher-Mockingbird-Catbird-Brown Thrasher-
Rock Wren-House Wren-Long-billed Marsh Wren.
Chapter 12 Woodland Warblers
Black-and-white Warbler-Yellow Warbler-
Yellow-rumped Warbler-Ovenbird-Maryland
Yellow-throat-Yellow-breasted Chat-American Redstart.
Chapter 13 Around the Old Barn
Red-eyed Vireo-Great Northern Shrike-
Cedar Waxwing.
Chapter 14 The Swallows
Purple Martin-Barn Swallow-Tree Swallow-
Bank Swallow.
Chapter 15 A Brilliant Pair
Scarlet Tanager-Louisiana Tanager.
Chapter 16 A Tribe of Weed Warriors
Pine Grosbeak-American Crossbill-American
Goldfinch-Snowflake-Vesper Sparrow-White-
throated Sparrow-Chipping Sparrow-Slate-colored
Junco-Song Sparrow-Towhee-Cardinal-
Rose-breasted Grosbeak-Indigo Bird.
Chapter 17 A Midsummer Excursion
Bobolink-Orchard Oriole-Baltimore Oriole-
Cowbird-Red-winged Blackbird-Purple
Grackle-Meadowlark.
Chapter 18 Crows and Their Cousins
American Crow-Blue Jay.
Chapter 19 A Feathered Fisherman
The Osprey.
Chapter 20 Some Sky Sweepers
Kingbird-Phoebe-Wood Pewee.
Chapter 21 Hummers and Chimney Sweeps
Ruby-throated Hummingbird-Chimney Swift.
Chapter 22 Two Winged Mysteries
Nighthawk-Whip-poor-will.
Chapter 23 A Laughing Family
Downy Woodpecker-Red-headed Woodpecker-
Flicker-Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.
Chapter 24 Two Odd Fellows
Kingfisher-Yellow-billed Cuckoo.
Chapter 25 Cannibals in Court
Bald Eagle-Golden Eagle-Screech Owl-
Long-eared Owl-Snowy Owl-Great Horned
Owl-Marsh Hawk-Sharp-shinned Hawk-
Red-shouldered Hawk-Sparrow Hawk.
Chapter 26 A Cooing Pair
Passenger Pigeon-Mourning Dove.
Chapter 27 Three Famous Game Birds
Bob White-Ruffed Grouse-Woodcock.
Chapter 28 On the Shore
A Long-necked Family: Black-crowned Night
Heron-American Bittern-A Bonnet Martyr
and a Blue Giant-Snowy Egret-Great Blue Heron.
Chapter 29 Up the River
Turnstone-Golden Plover-Wilson's Snipe-
Spotted Sandpiper-Least Sandpiper-Virginia Rail.
Chapter 30 Ducks and Drakes
Wood Duck-Black Duck-Mallard-Pintail-
Green-winged Teal-Blue-winged Teal-
Redhead-Old Squaw-Hooded Merganser.
Chapter 31 Gulls and Terns at Home
Canada Goose-American Herring Gull-
Common Tern-Loon-Pied-billed Grebe.
Chapter 32 Chorus by the Birds
Chapter 33 Procession of Bird Families
Index of English Names
APPENDIX 1
Supplementary Material on Citizen Bird
APPENDIX 2
Historical Materials on Nineteenth-Century Birding and Audubon
APPENDIX 3
Other Works of Nineteenth-Century Nature Writing and Children's Literature
APPENDIX 4
Further Reading
Acknowledgments
About the Contributors
Index