Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. John James Audubon (April 26, 1785 January 27, 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. In his outsize personality and achievements, he seemed to represent the new American nation of the United States.