François Le Vaillant

François Levaillant (later in life as Le Vaillant, "The Valiant") (6 August 1753 – 22 November 1824) was a French author, explorer, naturalist, zoological collector, and noted ornithologist. He described many new species of birds based on collection he made in Africa and several birds are named after him. He was among the first to use colour plates for illustrating birds and opposed the use of binomial nomenclature introduced by Linnaeus, preferring instead to use descriptive French names such as the bateleur (meaning "tight-rope walker") for the distinctive African eagle.

François Le Vaillant was born in Paramaribo, the capital of Dutch Guiana (Surinam), the son of a wealthy French merchant from Metz who had taken up a position as the French Consul. Growing up amid forests, he took an interest in the local fauna, shooting birds. When his father returned to Europe, in 1763, he studied natural history at Metz. He spent about two years in Germany and seven years in the Lorraine region. In 1777, a visit to Paris allowed him to examine cabinets of natural history and his interest in ornithology was greatly increased.

He was sent by Jacob Temminck through the Dutch East India Company to the Cape Province of South Africa in 1780, and collected specimens there until July 1784 when he made his way back to Holland. He made three journeys, one around Cape Town and Saldanha Bay (April to August 1781), one eastwards from the Cape (December 1781 to c. October 1782) and the third north of the Orange River and into Great Namaqualand (June 1783 to c. May 1784). Researchers have to some extent adjusted the dates supplied by Levaillant. During the first expedition his ship was attacked and sunk by the English leaving him with little more than a collecting gun and some money.

On his return he published Voyage dans l'intérieur de l'Afrique (1790, 2 vols.), and Second voyage dans l'intérieur de l'Afrique (1796, 3 vols.), both of which were translated into several languages. He also published Histoire naturelle des oiseaux d'Afrique (1796–1808, 6 vols.) with drawings by Jacques Barraband, Histoire naturelle des oiseaux de paradis (1801–06), Histoire naturelle des cotingas et des todiers (1804) and Histoire naturelle des calaos (1804). Levaillant’s illustrations often influenced scientific names given by, among others, Vieillot, Stephens and Wilkes.

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