Giclee reprint of an original lithograph from Volume III of Histoire naturelle des oiseaux de l'Amérique septentrionale published in Paris in 1807 by Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot (1748–1831). Vieillot was a pioneering French ornithologist who revolutionized avian taxonomy by introducing a more natural system of classification. His highly sought-after masterpiece remains one of the foundational cornerstones of American ornithology.

Unlike many European "armchair naturalists" who only studied dead museum specimens, Vieillot lived in the United States during the 1790s (fleeing the French Revolution). He spent years exploring the wilderness of the Mid-Atlantic states, personally observing live birds, their nesting habits, and their songs.

The volumes feature 131 magnificent plates printed using an advanced, delicate method known as stipple engraving. These engravings were masterfully executed by the renowned French artist Jean-Gabriel Prêtre and subsequently hand-colored with watercolors. 

In 19th-century natural history books, the genus name Tinnunculus was frequently used to group "kestrels" apart from other apex falcons due to their distinct hovering behavior. Modern avian taxonomy collapsed these sub-genera, placing all kestrels, hobbies, and true falcons under the singular genus Falco. Sparverius is derived from the historical root for sparrow. it distinguishes the American species from its European counterpart, the Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus).