Dispute over accuracy




The success of Birds of America may be considered to be marred by numerous accusations of plagiarism and scientific fraud. Research has uncovered that Audubon falsified (and fabricated) scientific data, published fraudulent data and images in scientific journals and commercial books, invented new species to impress potential subscribers, and to "prank" rivals, and most likely stole the holotype specimen of Harris's hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus harrisi) before pretending not to know its collector, who was one of his subscribers. He also repeatedly lied about the details of his autobiography, including the place and circumstances of his birth.

The litany of misconduct in Audubon's scientific career has drawn comparisons to others such as Richard Meinertzhagen. Similar to early biographies of Meinertzhagen, Audubon's scientific misconduct has been repeatedly ignored and/or downplayed by biographers, who defend Ornithological Biography as a "valuable resource and a very good read."

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