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S Most Beautiful Birds THE WORLD'S Tenoutstanding MOST artists talk about their ten favorite ONE OF THE rea- sons that so many birds. Eleven peopleare drawn to birds is their essential BEAUTIFUL birds were beauty.Their subde shapesand colors, the eleganceof their chosenby more leatheredflight, theBIRDS than one artist: nuances of their bal- task. Several of the artists made the ance,and the splendid combination American Swallow- of theirnatural markings make them pointthat we might have ended up amongthe most alive and aestheti- with avastly different list by asking ten tailed Kite (4) callyappealing creatures inthe world. differentartists•r by askingthe ResplendentQuetzal (4) We aresimultaneously intrigued by sameartists on a differentday. None Blue Bird of Paradise (3) theirvibrance and fascinated by their of themventured to givean objective visualsimplicity. The moreardently definitionof"beauty." Rather, each of Wood Duck (3) we observethem, the moremysteri- theirchoices reflected very personal American Avocet (2) aesthetics. ousthey become. Short-eared Owl (2) But whatwould you say if some- In fact,there were several surprises oneasked you to nameyour ten most which sometimesrevealed more about Northern Pintail (2) beautifulbirds in the world? We posed the artiststhan the birdsthey chose. Common Loon (2) thisquestion toten extremely accom- Some,including Al Gilbertand Guy plishedand respected bird painters. Tudor, said they lived for the thrill of Golden-breasted Their choices were as varied as their spottingextremely rare birds. "There Starling (2) styles,but there was one thing they all shouldbe a tantalizingrarity as nature Wilson'sPhalarope (2) agreedon: With 9000 beautiful birds generallyconceals its mostbrilliant worldwideto choosefrom, narrowing gemsin impenetrablejungles or Scissor-tailed the list downto ten wasa daunting mountainforests," said Gilbert. Oth- Flycatcher(2) ers,such as Cindy House and Diane AI Gilbertcalls the ResplendentQuetzal Pierce,revealed their affection for birds "the quintessentialbogon, an emerald, gold,and ruby jewel set bynature in her a little closer to home. "The more byEllen Alcorn and mostmagnificent backdrop, the cloud familiaryou arewith a bird,"said Laura Schenone forest." Dale Zimmermansays it's "spec- House, "the more beautiful it be- tacular,with its brilliantgreen and brenzy greeniridescence, bright red underparts, comes,even if it's a commonbird." and white outer tail feathers." As Doug Bearingthis out, the Mourning Dove Pratt pointsout, "that's goingas far as made Pierce'slist, becauseit sits in a youneed without getting fancy. The quet- nest outside her kitchen window. zal is a veryelegant bird withoutbeing gaudy."Photograph/Michael Fogden. Someof theartists, including John Volume 45, Number 2- 201 LarsJonsson soys he's painted the Arctic Tern endlessly. "Elegant would be the word for this bird," he soys, "becauseofthe way it flies,the proportions ofits wings, its weightlessness through the air." He's also drawn to its colors, "thedeep neutral gray of the body, its dark cap and very deep crimson beak." Photograph/Arthur Morris/VIREO. O'Neill and Dale Zimmerman, fa- a pieceof abstractsculpture with no warmto cool,red to yellow,like a vored brilliant-hued birds. Swedish emotions."When asked to respond to spectacularsunset." painterLars Jonsson, on the other thisseeming contradiction, hesays, "I PerhapsLarsJonsson's sensibility hand,preferred the stark simplicity of thinkone can really enjoy something can be best explained by the fact that blackand white birds, including the forone reason and something else for hisnative country of Swedenis dark EuropeanAvocet. theexact opposite reason. Part of my six monthsout of the year.At first In the end, whetherthey chose philosophyisthat variety." glance,some of his favorites might be birdshalfway around the world or in surprising,even downright strange. theirown backyards, Rainbow Lori- Butas a whole,Jonsson's listconveys keetsor starkNorthern Ravens,these Bateman: a distinctive aesthetic.Two of his fa- artistsall wound up offering the same "The EveningGrosbeak voritecolors, black and white, aren't thing:a freshway of lookingat old evencolors at all andthat's precisely friends. changesfrom dark to light, the appeal."There's nothing there. warmto cool,red to yellow, Youhave to fill it all in yourself.It's Robert Bateman is a Toronto-based likegoing into the night, or having a artistwho says he's "in favor of birds of like a spectacularsunset." blankwhite piece of paper. Anything prey.I likethings that are fierce-look- couldhappen, but you have to imag- ing. Beautifuldoesn't have to mean Bateman'saesthetic sensibility runs ine it." wimpy or sweet."His list confirms toward the subtlercolors in wildlife. "I ForJonsson, mystery and simplic- thispredilection: Four out of theten justcan't imagine choosing a macaw ity areopposite sides of a coin,and birdsare predators, including the Sec- sittingin a hibiscus.It's too much." he'sequally attracted to each.His retaryBird, white Gyrfalcon, African Instead, he's drawn to birds whose favoritebird is the European Avocet, FishEagle (which he saysis "better colors are a delicate modulation of he says,because "it's like a minimal thana BaldEagle in everyway"), and shades.The EveningGrosbeak, for pieceof art. It's white with only a few the American Swallow-tailed Kite. instance,"is a wonderfulexample, black strokes of thebrush. It repre- Conversely,the CommonLoon's modulatingin toneand color from a sentselegance in its purest meaning." lackof ferocity isprecisely what draws purpleyrust to thatclean canary yel- Similarly,he's attracted to the Ameri- Bateman to it. "The loon is almost like low.It changesfrom dark to light, can Golden-Plover because"it's such 208-American Birds, Summer 1991 Jonsson'ß ARTISTS'CHOICES "The EuropeanAvocet is like ROBERT BATEMAN ROGERTORY PETERSON 1. SecretaryBird 1. Common Peafowl(Peacock) a minimalpiece of art. 2. SandhillCrane (juvenile) 2. ResplendentQuetzal 3. Gyrfalcon(white morph) 3. Golden Pheasant It representselegance in its 4. AfricanFish Eagle 4. Rainbow Lodkeet 5. AmericanSwallow-tailed Kite 5. Scarlet Macaw purestmeaning." 6. Common Loon 6. anytanager 7. HoodedMerganser 7. Greater Bird of Paradise a beautiful combination of rather 8. Black-billedMagpie 8. SuperbLyrebird 9. EveningGrosbeak 9. RoseateSpoonbill simpleelements. The upperpart is 10. Tundra Swan 10. Carmine Bee-eater like a pieceof Arcticground with differentstones, pebbles, and herbs. AL GILBERT DIANE PIERCE Beneathhe is entirelyblack, which 1. ResplendentQuetzal 1. SnowyEgret allowshim to hide from predators. It's 2. Crested(Rheinard's) Argus 2. ElegantTrogon 3. PrinceRuspoli's Turaco 3. American Avocet a perfectand imaginative combina- 4. Blue Bird of Paradise 4. American Swallow-tailed Kite tion."Conversely, it's not the North- 5. KingBird of Paradise 5. Scissor-tailedFlycatcher ernRaven's simplicity that appeals to 6. WesternTragopan 6. Wood Duck Jonsson,but ratherthe fact that the 7. Sdater's Monal 7. MourningDove or the Chinese Monal 8. WesternTanager bird "conveyssomething wild. The 8. Horned Guan 9. Bar-headed Goose raven'sneck takes all the light; it gives 9. AfricanPygmy Kingfisher 10. Baikal Teal nolight at all. It's as black as anything 10. Lammergeier can be." DOUG PRATI' CINDY HOUSE 1. ResplendentQuetzal PerhapsJonsson's most surprising 1. American Avocet 2. Wood Duck entryis the Garden Warbler, abird he 2. Northern Pintail 3. American Swallow-tailed Kite admits"people don't caremuch 3. Black-necked Stilt 4. PurpleGallinule about."But he'sattracted to it by its 4. Short-eared Owl 5. White (Fairy)Tern 6. Iiwi "blackeye which has so much spirit 5. Black-leggedKittiwake 6. Golden-wingedWarbler 7. Scissor-tailedFlycatcher in it. Thebird has genuine character." 7. Wilson'sPhalarope (female) 8. Purple-throatedCarib In theend, Jonsson says he doesn't ask 8. Northern Cardinal (female) 9. Red-leggedHoneycreeper himself whether one bird is more 9. HarlequinDuck 10. Swallow-tailed Gull beautiful than another. "I'm attracted 10. Northern Harrier GUY TUDOR to certainbirds because they move LARS JONSSON (whoprefers not to rank his somethinginside of me." 1. EuropeanAvocet •vorite birds) 2. Common Loon AgamiHeron 3. American Golden-Plover Crescent-facedAntpitta 4. Arctic Tern Gambel'sQuail Zimmerman: 5. Northern Pintail Golden-breastedStarling Mountain Toucan 6. GoldenEagle "Some of the birds made me 7. Northern Raven Purple-crownedFairy 8. Garden Warbler Red-breasted Goose gasp,break out in goose 9. Short-eared Owl Schalow's Turaco Turquoise-browedMotmot pimples,and becomelight- 10.Wilson's Phalarope DALE ZIMMERMAN headed when I first saw JOHN P. O'NEILL 1. Versicolored Barbet l. Golden-breastedStarling 2. Blue Bird of Paradise 2. Blue Bird of Paradise them." 3. Malachite Sunbird 3. Blue-tailed Pitta 4. Garnet Pitta 4. BlueVanga 5. Common Poorwill For Dale Zimmerman, a New 5. Plum-throatedCodnga Mexico bird illustrator,color is crudal 6. Orange-earedTanager 6. ResplendentQuetzal 7. Wood Duck tohis way of seeing. No dullred, blue, 7. Temminck'sTragopan 8. Golden-browedChlorophonia 8. Turquoise-browedMotmot or greenfor Zimmerman, but rather 9. SapphireQuail-Dove 9. American Swallow-tailedKite "brightcrimson," "opalescent blue," 10. Buff-bridled Inca-Finch 10. BohemianWaxwing and "bronzygreen iridescence." In describing his favorite birds Volume 45, Number 2- 209 Zimmermanvirtually paints them for the listener. "The Golden-breasted Stating,"he says, "is absolutely gor- geouswith its satiny iridescent greens, intensemetallic
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