A new printing of The Birds of America by John James Audubon breathes new life into one of the most famous publications in natural history. The book includes all 435 of the original hand-colored engravings in careful reproduction. Changes include a reorganization of the plates according to modern phylogenetics and an updating of some scientific names.

Eskimo Curlew (Numenius borealis; originally Esquimaux Curlew)

The now nearly-extinct Eskimo Curlew was ubiquitous in the 1800s, and they were hunted accordingly. Write ornithologist Roger Tory Peterson and Virginia Marie Peterson in the new edition:

"The pressure on these birds by market gunners and others in the US and Canada was so relentless that the vast flocks that were en route to the Pampas of Argentina, where they were again shot in great numbers, simply melted like snow before the midday sun. For a time it was feared that they were completely exterminated, but in recent years renewed hope has been held out for their survival because of sightings in Texas and elsewhere."

All following captions have been excerpted from the book.