Grus americana

These awesome birds are a bit larger than their cousins, the gray colored Sandhill Cranes.  Audubon was convinced that the Sandhills were immature Whoopers, which we now realize is not the case.  Audubon also worked using specimens he shot as models for his paintings, obviously not having the advantage of using photographic images for that purpose.  He also ate many of the species we now protect as endangered, as was common practice in those days.