The end of the 19th century was a devastating period for America’s birds.| birdhistory.substack.com
Growing up in eastern South Dakota, winters were harsh, dark, and long, often lasting until deep into April.| birdhistory.substack.com
In the 19th century, birds were an intimate part of daily life| birdhistory.substack.com
Enslaved men and women in America’s South developed their own ornithology. To them, birds meant forced labor. But they also meant food, opportunity, and sometimes even freedom.| birdhistory.substack.com
Pigeon-shooting contests were popular in the 1800s until animal rights activists shut them down — and passenger pigeons went extinct.| birdhistory.substack.com
If you've never heard of a canvasback, you're not alone. But a hundred years ago, this duck was America’s most famous — and most exclusive — dish.| birdhistory.substack.com
Before pesticides, birds were a farmer's best defense against bugs. And the government’s economic ornithologists could tell you exactly how much each bird was worth.| birdhistory.substack.com
Mockingbirds are a powerful symbol in literature and music, but how well do we know the actual bird?| birdhistory.substack.com
Audubon’s Culinary Reviews of America’s Birds| birdhistory.substack.com
How the earliest colonizers brought turkeys from England to America| birdhistory.substack.com