Red Winged Starling or Red Winged Blackbird, Morris Bird Print, 1896

An original wood engraved bird plate, colored by hand, captioned "RED-WINGED STARLING." A single black bird perches on a diagonal branch, seen from behind with the head turned to the left in profile, so that both shoulder patches show at once. Each patch is scarlet with a band of yellow along its lower edge. The plumage is black with a blue sheen on the head and tail, the wings dark brown. Long pointed green leaves hang from the branch on both sides of the bird.

The caption "RED-WINGED STARLING." is engraved in capitals below the picture, with a full stop. No plate number or engraver's credit appears on the plate. The bird is the one known today as the Red-winged Blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus, named for the red shoulder patches of the male.

The plate comes from the fourth edition of A History of British Birds by the Reverend Francis Orpen Morris (1810 to 1893), rector of Nunburnholme in Yorkshire. This edition was issued in six volumes by John C. Nimmo, London, and the plate belongs to the third volume, whose title page is dated 1896 and states that the plates are colored by hand. The wood blocks for the plates of the work were engraved by Benjamin Fawcett (1808 to 1893) of Driffield in Yorkshire. Each plate combines an engraved black key block with a printed gray tint, finished by hand in watercolor.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.