Eurasian Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola)
In Rudolf II’s menagerie (zoo) in Prague, De Boodt could study living animals from distant places, and in the emperor’s Kunstkammer (Cabinet of Curiosities) he could find stuffed specimens. Yet he also drew some creatures after existing images. For this woodcock, the draughtsman probably did not need to consult such sources: the bird was common in and around Prague.