Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot
Encyclopedia
Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot (May 10, 1748, Yvetot
- 1831, Rouen
) was a French
ornithologist.
Vieillot described a large number of birds for the first time, especially those he encountered during the time he spent in the West Indies and North America
, and 26 genera established by him are still in use. He was one of the first ornithologists to study changes in plumage
, and also one of the first to study live bird
s as well as skins.
Vieillot was born in Yvetot
. He was in business on the Caribbean island of San Domingo (Haiti
), but was forced to flee to the United States
during the French Revolution
. During his time there he began studying the birds of the country, and collected material for his Histoire naturelle des oiseaux de l'Amérique Septentrionale (1808).
He returned to France in 1800 (or 1801), where he obtained a post as a writer on the Bulletin des Lois. He continued to write on birds, producing Histoire naturelle et générale des colibris, oiseaux-mouches, jacamars et promerops (1802) with illustrations by his friend Jean Baptiste Audebert, followed by Histoire naturelle des plus beaux oiseaux chanteurs de la zone torride (1806).
In Analyse d'une nouvelle Ornithologie Elémentaire (1816) Vieillot set out his system of ornithological classification, which he continued in his contributions to the Nouveau Dictionaire d'Histoire Naturelle (1816-19). In 1820 Vieillot undertook the continuation of the Tableau encyclopédique et méthodique
, commenced by Pierre Joseph Bonnaterre
in 1790. He went on to write Ornithologie Française (1823-30).
He is believed to have died in poverty in Rouen.
Vieillot is commemorated in the binomials of a number of birds, such as Lybius vieilloti (Vieillot's Barbet
) and Saurothera vieilloti (the Puerto Rican Lizard-Cuckoo
).
Yvetot
Yvetot is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-History:The name is of Scandinavian origin . The town is most likely of Scandinavian origin too. There is also a locality in Bromölla municipality in southern Sweden bearing the same name...
- 1831, Rouen
Rouen
Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
) was a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
ornithologist.
Vieillot described a large number of birds for the first time, especially those he encountered during the time he spent in the West Indies and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, and 26 genera established by him are still in use. He was one of the first ornithologists to study changes in plumage
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
, and also one of the first to study live bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s as well as skins.
Vieillot was born in Yvetot
Yvetot
Yvetot is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-History:The name is of Scandinavian origin . The town is most likely of Scandinavian origin too. There is also a locality in Bromölla municipality in southern Sweden bearing the same name...
. He was in business on the Caribbean island of San Domingo (Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
), but was forced to flee to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
during the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
. During his time there he began studying the birds of the country, and collected material for his Histoire naturelle des oiseaux de l'Amérique Septentrionale (1808).
He returned to France in 1800 (or 1801), where he obtained a post as a writer on the Bulletin des Lois. He continued to write on birds, producing Histoire naturelle et générale des colibris, oiseaux-mouches, jacamars et promerops (1802) with illustrations by his friend Jean Baptiste Audebert, followed by Histoire naturelle des plus beaux oiseaux chanteurs de la zone torride (1806).
In Analyse d'une nouvelle Ornithologie Elémentaire (1816) Vieillot set out his system of ornithological classification, which he continued in his contributions to the Nouveau Dictionaire d'Histoire Naturelle (1816-19). In 1820 Vieillot undertook the continuation of the Tableau encyclopédique et méthodique
Tableau encyclopédique et méthodique
The Tableau encyclopédique et méthodique des trois regnes de la nature was an illustrated encyclopedia of plants, animals and minerals, notable for including the first scientific descriptions of many species, and for its attractive engravings. It was published in Paris by Charles Joseph Panckoucke,...
, commenced by Pierre Joseph Bonnaterre
Pierre Joseph Bonnaterre
Abbé Pierre Joseph Bonnaterre was a French naturalist who contributed sections on cetaceans, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and insects to the Tableau encyclopédique et méthodique...
in 1790. He went on to write Ornithologie Française (1823-30).
He is believed to have died in poverty in Rouen.
Vieillot is commemorated in the binomials of a number of birds, such as Lybius vieilloti (Vieillot's Barbet
Vieillot's Barbet
The Vieillot's Barbet, Lybius vieilloti, is a small African barbet. Barbets and toucans are a group of near passerine birds with a world-wide tropical distribution. The barbets get their name from the bristles which fringe their heavy bills....
) and Saurothera vieilloti (the Puerto Rican Lizard-Cuckoo
Puerto Rican Lizard-Cuckoo
The Puerto Rican Lizard Cuckoo is a cuckoo endemic to the island of Puerto Rico, and is one of 4 species of lizard-cuckoos which occur only on Caribbean islands...
).
Works
- Histoire naturelle des plus beaux oiseaux chanteurs de la zone torride. Dufour, Paris 1805.
- Histoire naturelle des oiseaux de l'Amérique septentrionale. Desray, Paris 1807-1808.
- Analyse d'une nouvelle ornithologie élémentaire. d'Éterville, Paris 1816.
- Mémoire pour servir à l'histoire des oiseaux d'Europe. Turin 1816.
- Ornithologie. Lanoe, Paris 1818.
- Faune française ou Histoire naturelle, générale et particulière des animaux qui se trouvent en France. Le Vrault & Rapet, Paris, Strasbourg, Bruxelles, 1820-1830.
- La galerie des oiseaux du cabinet d'histoire naturelle du jardin du roi. Aillard & Constant-Chantpie, Paris 1822-1825.
- Ornithologie française ou Histoire naturelle, générale et particulière des oiseaux de France. Pelicier, Paris 1830.
General references
External links
- Gallica All the plates for La galerie des oiseaux—The French word for Search is Recherche