John James Audubon drew the Prairie Titlark in 1815. It is among the oldest drawings that appears in the first edition of Birds of America. The bird does not reappear in the later octavo edition of Birds of America. Audubon created the drawing when his attention was much more so on building a trade business and supporting his family in Henderson, Kentucky, than drawing birds. In the summer of 1816, Audubon began investing in a mill operation that eventually failed. To save himself and his family from financial ruin, Audubon turned to developing his artistic skills and creating more drawings of birds that are known today as the Birds of America.
Plate 80 – Prairie Titlark
Plate 80 of the first edition of "Birds of America" by John James Audubon.