John James Audubon (April 26, 1785 – January 2, 1851) was a French-American ornithologist, naturalist, hunter, and painter. He painted, catalogued, and described the birds of North America in a form far superior to what had gone before.

His Birds of America is the most valuable book in the world. There are only about 120 copies of the original, and a copy in good condition is worth 8 million dollars.

The first buyers of this painting included King George IV of England and King Charles I of France.