Ornithology Gallery

Jonathan Couch, Cornwall. Before 1870

Full length portrait photograph of Dr Jonathan Couch (1789-1870) standing with one hand hooked into his waistcoat and holding a top hat in the other. Couch was born in Polperro and, after qualifying as a medical doctor, returned to his birthplace in 1810. He was a keen local historian, naturalist and published author whose interests and works included zoology, botany, geology, ichthyology, archaeology and Cornish folklore. Photographer: Unknown

© From the collection of the RIC

Old male Asian Paradise Flycatcher Watercolour

Original watercolour drawings and illustrated MS relating to Indian Birds, forming one of a set of volumes from which the illustrated MS work by Tickell on Mammals, &c. of India, in the Library of the Zoological Society of London was elaborated. Samuel Richard Tickell (c.1809-1875) Date: c, 1848 NHM Library Zoology 88 o TIC Date: crica 1848

© Mary Evans / Natural History Museum

Blackbird

Blackbird. Male blackbird (Turdus merula) perching on a branch. The female is a mottled brown colour. This bird is found in Britain and throughout Eurasia. It inhabits moorland, woodland and parks, and has adapted well to life in inhabited areas. This has made it very common in parts of its range. It feeds on a variety of foods, including fruits, berries, insects and worms, and can reach almost 30 centimetres in length

© DAVID AUBREY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY