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Citizen Bird
Scenes from Bird-Life in Plain English for Beginners, a Critical Edition
Mabel Osgood Wright (Author), Elliott Coues (Author), Louis Agassiz Fuertes (Illustrated by), Elizabeth Cherry (Edited by), Meghan Freeman (Edited by), Elliot Coues (Author)
9781978837072
Hardback, published 13 May 2025
466 pages, 2 color and 118 B-W images
25.4 x 17.8 x 3.3 cm, 1.021 kg
"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)
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.
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 Chapter 10 Peepers and Creepers Chapter 11 Mockers and Scolders Chapter 12 Woodland Warblers Chapter 13 Around the Old Barn Chapter 14 The Swallows Chapter 15 A Brilliant Pair Chapter 16 A Tribe of Weed Warriors Chapter 17 A Midsummer Excursion Chapter 18 Crows and Their Cousins Chapter 19 A Feathered Fisherman Chapter 20 Some Sky Sweepers Chapter 21 Hummers and Chimney Sweeps Chapter 22 Two Winged Mysteries Chapter 23 A Laughing Family Chapter 24 Two Odd Fellows Chapter 25 Cannibals in Court Chapter 26 A Cooing Pair Chapter 27 Three Famous Game Birds Chapter 28 On the Shore Chapter 29 Up the River Chapter 30 Ducks and Drakes Chapter 31 Gulls and Terns at Home 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
Bluebird-Robin- Wood Thrush-Wilson’s
Thrush-Hermit Thrush-Olive-backed Thrush.
Golden-crowned Kinglet-White-breasted
Nuthatch-Chickadee-Brown Creeper.
Sage Thrasher-Mockingbird-Catbird-Brown Thrasher-
Rock Wren-House Wren-Long-billed Marsh Wren.
Black-and-white Warbler-Yellow Warbler-
Yellow-rumped Warbler-Ovenbird-Maryland
Yellow-throat-Yellow-breasted Chat-American Redstart.
Red-eyed Vireo-Great Northern Shrike-
Cedar Waxwing.
Purple Martin-Barn Swallow-Tree Swallow-
Bank Swallow.
Scarlet Tanager-Louisiana Tanager.
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.
Bobolink-Orchard Oriole-Baltimore Oriole-
Cowbird-Red-winged Blackbird-Purple
Grackle-Meadowlark.
American Crow-Blue Jay.
The Osprey.
Kingbird-Phoebe-Wood Pewee.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird-Chimney Swift.
Nighthawk-Whip-poor-will.
Downy Woodpecker-Red-headed Woodpecker-
Flicker-Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.
Kingfisher-Yellow-billed Cuckoo.
Bald Eagle-Golden Eagle-Screech Owl-
Long-eared Owl-Snowy Owl-Great Horned
Owl-Marsh Hawk-Sharp-shinned Hawk-
Red-shouldered Hawk-Sparrow Hawk.
Passenger Pigeon-Mourning Dove.
Bob White-Ruffed Grouse-Woodcock.
A Long-necked Family: Black-crowned Night
Heron-American Bittern-A Bonnet Martyr
and a Blue Giant-Snowy Egret-Great Blue Heron.
Turnstone-Golden Plover-Wilson’s Snipe-
Spotted Sandpiper-Least Sandpiper-Virginia Rail.
Wood Duck-Black Duck-Mallard-Pintail-
Green-winged Teal-Blue-winged Teal-
Redhead-Old Squaw-Hooded Merganser.
Canada Goose-American Herring Gull-
Common Tern-Loon-Pied-billed Grebe.