Roger Tory Peterson; Creator of Popular Bird-Watching Guides

OLD LYME, Conn. — Roger Tory Peterson, a modern-day John James Audubon who published internationally popular field guides for bird-watchers, has died at 87.

Peterson, who died Sunday after suffering a mild stroke several months ago, combined artistic talent with a lifelong scientific interest in birds.

During his 60-year career, he wrote, illustrated and edited 15 easy-to-use birding books that sold millions of copies and were translated into at least 12 languages.

Audubon magazine called him “the man who turned bird-watching into a supersport.”

Peterson said it was his seventh-grade science teacher who first encouraged him to draw birds and apply his talent for detail. Peterson had no formal scientific training but traveled the world as a bird artist. He studied at the Art Students League in New York City and the National Academy of Design.

An editor of Audubon magazine suggested that he do a pocket guide for bird-watchers in the early 1930s, when he was an art and science teacher. The result was a 1934 guide to the birds of the eastern United States.

Peterson’s guide was hailed as a masterpiece not only for the quality of the drawings but also for his unique identification system, which uses arrows to highlight distinctive markings and characteristics.

He subsequently helped create more than 40 guides covering a wide range of nature subjects.