Images of cockatoo on 13-century Vatican manuscript inspire trade route rethink

Holy Emperor's falconry guide shows the oldest known European depiction of the birdOn the margins of a 13th-century manuscript written by the Holy Emperor Frederick II of Sicily, are more than 900 illustrations of birds and falconers. Among the usual hawks, herons, and sparrows familiar to European readers are four sketches of a bird from further afield - an Australasian cockatoo. The images are believed to be the oldest European depiction of the bird, trumping a similar discovery in a 15th-century artwork, and have sparked a reassessment of trading routes that existed more than 700 years ago. Continue reading...