Noddy Tern by John James Audubon Art Print
Sterna Stolida - Mr. Audubon describes the Noddy Tern in Birds of America as follows: "At the beginning of May, the Noddies collect from all parts of the Gulf of Mexico, and the coasts of Florida, for the purpose of returning to their breeding places, on one of the Tortugas called Noddy Key. . . . " "The noddies form regular nests of twigs and dry grass, which they place on the bushes or low trees, but never on the ground. On visiting their island [Noddy Key] on the 11th of May 1832, I was surprised to see that many of them were repairing and augmenting nests that had remained through the winter, while others employed in constructing new ones, and some were already sitting on their eggs. In a great many instances their repaired nests formed masses nearly 2 feet in height, and yet all of them had only a slight hollow for the eggs . . . " "The Noddy, like most other species of terns, lays three eggs, which average two inches in length, by an inch and three-eighths in breadth, and are reddish-yellow colour, spotted and patched with dull red and faint purple.
They afford excellent eating, and our sailors seldom failed to collect bucketfuls of them daily during our stay at the Tortugas." ". . . It does not see well at night, and it is perhaps for this reason that it frequently alights on the spars of vessels, where it sleeps so sound that the seamen often catch them. When seized in the hand it offers a rough cry . . . On such occasions, it does not disgorge its food . . . although it bites severely, with quickly repeated movements of the bill, . . . Some of which I've kept several days, refused all kinds of food, became dull and languid, and at length died . . . The tail of the Noddy is cueate, instead of being forked, in which respect it differs essentially from that of the other species. Perhaps the naturalists who placed it in the same genus as the Roseate tern, may have been nodding over their books"
At Fine Art Prints of Distinction we painstakingly repair the original files of these old paintings and print them using premium quality inks and paper. The end result is a beautiful, archival reproduction print that will last in your home for generations and at a low cost so anyone can now have great artworks hanging in their home or business. Brandywine General Store is proud to offer for sale a Premium Fine Art Print made from the Ornithology painting entitled the Noddy Tern by John James Audubon.
Inventory #275 - Art Prints of the Audubon Birds