October 8th is the birthday of William John Swainson, ornithologist, author, illustrator. He settled in New Zealand, and it's quite likely that he never saw any of the birds named for him. But because of Swainson's reputation and knowledge about birds, the Swainson's Warbler, Swainson's Thrush, and Swainson's Hawk – like this one – were all named in his honor. In fact, John James Audubon himself named the Swainson's Swamp-Warbler. Learn more about Swainson at Cornell.edu.
Swainson's Birds
Donald Metzner
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