José Atanasio Echeverría
Auf einem Ast sitzende Eule, um 1800
José Atanasio Echeverría was primarily engaged by the expeditions to Central America and to Nootka, Canada, as an illustrator of newly discovered flora, but he also produced ornithological studies. The barn owl (Tyto alba) pictured here is found in Central and South America but is also widespread in Europe and Africa. It lacks the characteristic upright feathers that resemble ears and has a heart-shaped face. The Mediterranean barn owl has a white belly, in contrast to the American owl's orange one, so the present example could well have been Spanish. The tree in the drawing, a holm oak, would thus be wholly appropriate.
Jens Hoffmann-Samland