Audubon’s Flamingo, 1838 — Antique Historical Print

The Story in the Margin

The American Flamingo's brilliant pink-to-scarlet plumage comes not from its own pigments but from carotenoids in the small crustaceans and algae it filters from shallow water through its distinctive downward-bent bill. The species once bred by the thousands in Florida Bay and the Keys, but nineteenth-century plume hunters, who could kill up to a hundred birds in a day for the hat trade, wiped out the U.S. population by 1900; only in the past few years have wild flocks begun returning to South Florida in meaningful numbers. This plate, numbered 431 in Audubon's The Birds of America, appeared in the final volume of the series, issued in 1838.

Materials & origin

• Material: 200 gsm gallery-grade, acid-free fine-art paper (FSC-certified).
• Print: Archival giclée, 12-colour printing, smooth matte finish for glare-free display.
• Artwork: Restored from a public-domain original; colour and detail digitally cleaned for large-format print.
• Origin: Made on demand and shipped from the print hub nearest you, cutting transit and waste.
• Framing: Sold unframed; ships rolled in a protective tube.