Birds and Trees of North America is Rex Brasher's seminal work, comprised of 862 watercolor paintings bound in an encyclopedic set. Between 1929 and 1932, he created 100 twelve-volume sets—1,200 individual books—and sent them to patrons across North America. Volume 6 contains 101 hand-colored plates, depicting eagles, falcons, caracara, owls, parrots, cuckoos, trogon, kingfishers, and woodpeckers.
Order, Raptores: suborder, Falcones; family, Falconidae
EAGLES are the largest and most powerful birds of prey. Feet short, stout, with long curved talons capable of killing young sheep or other medium sized mammals. Like Indians they can live for extended periods without food, gorging to excess when quarry is captured.
FALCONS have toothed bills, pointed long wings and broad tails with strong lithe bodies enabling them to attain remarkable speed. Superiority in courage, impetuosity and dash entitle them to be distinguished as “noble” from the “ignoble” hawks. Incubation requires about a month and the young birds grow slowly, needing an immense amount of food until they attain maturity. Sexes alike in plumage but female larger.
Order, Raptores: family, Falconidae; subfamily, Polyborinae
CARACARAS are a link between Vultures and Hawks, resembling the latter in flight, the former in food habits, being essentially carrion feeders. They are found chiefly in Central and South America where they perform important service as scavengers.
Order, Raptores: suborder, Falcones; family, Pandionidae
The feet and legs of the OSPREY are more developed than any other birds, in North America. Their size in relation to the bird is remarkable. They are covered with sharp projections and the claws are long, curved and rapier-sharp. The bill is deeply hooked. The plumage is oily and compactly overlapped. They are found over most of the world and never far from water as their food consists exclusively of fish taken alive. For Hawks, they are gentle, unsuspicious and perfect examples of the art of attending to their own fishing.
Order, Raptores: suborder, Striges; families, Aluconidae and Strigidae
The eyes of OWLS are directed forward and they are obliged to turn the head when looking sideways. Being nocturnal birds these organs are greatly developed as are the ears. Acute hearing, sight and remarkable power of silent flight render the genus efficient in controlling vermin abroad at night. Prey is swallowed entire or in chunks, the hair and bones regurgitated in the form of pellets.
Excepting the Great Horned Owl, they are the most beneficial of our birds. They are distributed over the entire world except in the South Sea Islands. The period of incubation is from 3 to 4 weeks.
NESTS are in tree hollows, banks or deserted homes of Hawks or Crows. Shortear Owl on ground.
EGGS: 3 to 7; pure white.
Order, Coccyges: suborder, Cuculi; family, Cuculidae
Toes in pairs, altho frequently used three forward — like normal perching birds. Tails long and bodies slim, giving the impression of much larger birds than they are in reality. Wings rounded, plumage soft and velvety. Many foreign species parasitic but all varieties build their own nests and raise their young.
Order, Coccyges: suborder, Alcyones; family, Alcedinidae
The two KINGFISHERS found within our borders are members of a cosmopolitan family numbering over two hundred species. Among many ancient legends associated with them is that Alcyone was so overcome with grief for her shipwrecked husband that she followed him to a watery grave and was changed into a Kingfisher or "Halcyon."
Pliny says:
Halcyons lay and sit about midwinter when daies be shortest, and the time while they are broodie is called the halcyon daies, for during that season the sea is calm and navigable. —
A pleasant legend but poor natural history.
First and second toes connected with membrane forming a flattened granulated sole.
Order, Pici: family, Picidae
WOODPECKERS are a compact group, easily identified by looping flight or upright position. Excepting the Threetoe Woodpecker, they have four stout toes; two forward, two back; with sharp curved claws adapted to gripping bark. The tail, of strong pointed feathers, supplements this hold and supports the body at the most effective angle for operating the bill trip-hammer. The bills are chisel-pointed and are driven into wood with staccato blows from powerful neck muscles. Tongues are cylindrical, terminating in a hard barbed point. The base is split, curved behind the skull, usually fastened between the eyes and is a most effective spear for impaling grubs or insects. Most species work for their food, digging lurking prey from live and dead trees, with astonishing energy and noise. While watching them I often have wondered if they ever had headaches — hard-going to be compelled to rap an aching head one hundred and more times a minute against wood, to obtain breakfast.
NESTS are in tree hollows excavated by the birds. The weaker billed, such as Flickers, generally use a natural cavity.
EGGS: 4–8, are invariably pure white and are laid on wood chips without other nesting material.
Birds and Trees of North America is a vivid record of taxonomy in motion. The scientific and common names within these volumes do not always align with modern standards, nor do they always align with historical standards. While Rex followed the 1910 checklist of the American Ornithologists’ Union (AOU), he occasionally deviated from it according to his own observations and convictions. He disagreed with the “hair-splitting fad” of systematists and the possessive form of bird names, yet maintained the necessity of a standard language for understanding the avian world. Where Rex intentionally diverged from standard classification, we have preserved his work in its original form.