The Parrot Illustrations of Edward Lear

For my book The Parrot Illustrations Of Edward Lear, click here.

This page profiles the parrot illustrations that were created by the English artist and author Edward Lear (1812–1888). Section 1 contains a biography of Edward Lear, section 2 displays his parrot illustrations, and section 3 contains videos of lectures that discuss his parrot and other scientific illustrations.

1) Biography of Edward Lear (1812–1888)

2) Parrot illustrations (1830–1832)

3) Lectures on the scientific illustrations of Edward Lear

1) Biography of Edward Lear
(1812–1888)

Edward Lear was a nineteenth-century English artist and author.

Lear was born into a middle-class family in London in 1812, the penultimate of 21 children and the youngest to survive.
He was raised by his eldest sister, Ann, who was 21 years older than him. Ann doted on him and continued to act as a mother to him until her death, when he was almost 50 years of age.

Lear was a talented artist from an early age. As a young man, he was employed to draw scientific illustrations of birds. His first book, published in 1832 when he was 19, consisted of 42 colour illustrations of parrots.

The production of scientific illustrations caused a deterioration in Lear’s eyesight. Although he continued to produce scientific illustrations occasionally until at least 1850, he began to focus, from about 1835 onwards, on other works. He travelled, particularly in Italy, and created landscape paintings. He wrote books on his travels, which he illustrated. He also composed music, especially to accompany poems, including the poems of Alfred Tennyson.

Lear developed an interest in literary nonsense, a form of literature that balances elements that make sense with elements that do not, with the effect of subverting language conventions or logical reasoning. He published four “nonsense books”. These books were popular, and they ran through many editions.

Lear experienced poor health for much of his life. He never married nor had children, though he had friends and correspondents. In the last part of his life, he lived in Italy with his beloved pet cat Foss. He died in 1888, aged 75.

A photograph of Edward Lear from 1866 is given below (reproduced from here).

2) Parrots illustrations (1830–1832)

This section contains 42 illustrations of parrots, produced by Edward Lear between 1830 and 1832, and published by him in 1832 in his book Illustrations of the Family of Psittacidae, or Parrots. These illustrations were created as lithographic plates; hence, they are referred to as Plate 1, Plate 2, and so on.

Plate 1 (below)
Psittacus badiceps — Bay-headed parrot

Plate 2 (below)
Plyctolophus rosaceus — Salmon-crested Cockatoo

Plate 3 (below)
Plyctolophus galeritus — Greater Sulphur-crested Cockatoo

Plate 4 (below)
Plyctolophus sulphureus — Lesser Sulphur-crested Cockatoo

Plate 5 (below)
Plyctolophus Leadbeateri — Leadbeater’s Cockatoo

Plate 6 (below)
Calyptorhynchus Baudinii — Baudin’s Cockatoo

Plate 7 (below)
Macrocercus Aracanga — Red and Yellow Maccaw

Plate 8 (below)
Macrocercus Ararauna — Blue and Yellow Maccaw

Plate 9 (below)
Macrocercus hyacinthinus — Hyacinthine Maccaw

Plate 10 (below)
Psittacara Patachonica — Patagonian Parrakeet Maccaw

Plate 11 (below)
Psittacara leptorhyncha — Long-billed Parrakeet Maccaw

Plate 12 (below)
Psittacara nana — Dwarf Parrakeet Maccaw

Plate 13 (below)
Nanodes undulatus — Undulated Parrakeet

Plate 14 (below)
Platycercus erythropterus — Crimson-winged Parrakeet (male)

Plate 15 (below)
Platycercus erythropterus — Crimson-winged Parrakeet (female and young male)

Plate 16 (below)
Platycercus Tabuensis — Tabuan Parrakeet

Plate 17 (below)
Platycercus Baueri — Bauer’s Parrakeet

Plate 18 (below)
Platycercus Barnardi — Barnard’s Parrakeet

Plate 19 (below)
Platycercus palliceps — Pale-headed Parrakeet

Plate 20 (below)
Platycercus Brownii — Brown’s Parrakeet

Plate 21 (below)
Platycercus pileatus — Red-capped Parrakeet (male)

Plate 22 (below)
Platycercus pileatus — Red-capped Parrakeet (female)

Plate 23 (below)
Platycercus Stanleyii — Stanley Parrakeet (male)

Plate 24 (below)
Platycercus Stanleyii — Stanley Parrakeet (young male)

Plate 25 (below)
Platycercus unicolor — Uniform Parrakeet

Plate 26 (below)
Platycercus Pacificus — Pacific Parrakeet

Plate 27 (below)
Palæornis Novæ-Hollandiæ — New Holland Parrakeet (male and female)

Plate 28 (below)
Palæornis melanura — Black-tailed Parrakeet

Plate 29 (below)
Palæornis anthopeplus — Blossom-feathered Parrakeet

Plate 30 (below)
Palæornis rosaceus — Roseate Parrakeet

Plate 31 (below)
Palæornis Columboïdes — Pigeon Parrakeet

Plate 32 (below)
Palæornis cucullatus — Hooded Parrakeet

Plate 33 (below)
Palæornis torquatus — Rose Ringed Parrakeet (yellow variety)

Plate 34 (below)
Trichoglossus rubritorquis — Scarlet-collared Parrakeet

Plate 35 (below)
Trichoglossus Matoni — Maton’s Parrakeet

Plate 36 (below)
Trichoglossus versicolor — Variegated Parrakeet

Plate 37 (below)
Lorius Domicella — Black-capped Lory

Plate 38 (below)
Psittacula Kuhlii — Kuhl’s Parrakeet

Plate 39 (below)
Psittacula Taranta — Abyssinian Parrakeet

Plate 40 (below)
Psittacula torquata — Collared Parrakeet

Plate 41 (below)
Psittacula rubrifrons — Red-fronted Parrakeet

Plate 42 (below)
Psittacula Swinderniana — Swindern’s Parrakeet

3) Lectures on the scientific illustrations of Edward Lear

Below is a lecture on The Remarkable Nature of Edward Lear, given by Robert M. Peck in 2019:

Below is a lecture on The Gleanings of the Menagerie 1846 & 1850 and Edward Lear, given by Jenny Uglow in 2025: