Fork-tailed Petrel

Robert Havell after John James Audubon

National Gallery of Art

This is a painting of two fork-tail petrels flying over stormy ocean waves. The painting illustrates two birds with distinct forked tails and mostly dark plumage. They are depicted with outstretched wings, gliding above rolling waves. The sky is painted to appear overcast and ominous, with layered shades of gray clouds. The dynamic poses of the birds and the turbulent sea below create a sense of motion and energy in the scene.