The new Rainforest Rescue patron George Lewin has a name shared by one of Australia’s most familiar rainforest birds, the Lewin’s honeyeater.

The bird was named after John William Lewin, son of William Lewin, who wrote the seven volume Birds of Great Britain. John Lewin sailed to Australia in 1800 seeking fame and wealth as an ornithologist. He was the first non-convict natural history artist in the colony, producing the first book on Australian birds, The Birds of New Holland, published in 1808. Printed in England, all the copies ordered by Australian subscribers were lost in a fire in a warehouse or to water damage on the ship out. Lewin reprinted the book in 1813 as The Birds of New South Wales. It was the first book printed in Australia to be illustrated by colourplate, with eighteen engravings coloured by hand in the tradition of the day. Very few copies survive.

Lewin’s bird art was very good for its day, showing the birds in life-like poses and perched among Australian foliage. Early governors of New South Wales commissioned his illustrations, which were hung in Government House. But Lewin could not make a living from bird art and supplemented his income by doing portraits and opening a drawing academy. He died in 1819 without achieving the success he had hoped for.

Lewin’s honeyeater was named in his honour in 1837. This green honeyeater is one of the most common rainforest birds in eastern Australia with a distinctive and often-heard call. It eats nectar, fruits and small insects.

Source: Feather and Brush: Three Centuries of Australian Bird Art by Penny Olsen (CSIRO, 2001).