The dramatic, contradictory story of the creator of The Birds of America , the monumental collection of 435 life-sized portraits of every bird then known in the United States.

In a dramatic, contradictory story, the man who is synonymous with the American wilderness and conservation movement emerges as the man who probably killed more birds than anyone else in history. Energetic, gifted and vain, Audubon was self-taught and self-made, the illegitimate son of a French sea captain and Haitian servant girl. From the Caribbean and the French countryside, he eventually settled in the American south at age 19 and, after failed business efforts and bankruptcy, pursued his true passion - finding, shooting and drawing birds - ultimately realizing his dream of publishing The Birds of America , the monumental collection of 435 life-size prints, now each fetching more than $100,000 at auction. The National Audubon Society has more than a half-million members today and his legacy is ever relevant.