John Gould se roku 1838 vypravil do Austrálie, aby mohl studovat tamní populaci ptáků. Výsledkem této cesty byla kniha The birds of Australia (1840–1848).
John Gould was an English ornithologist whose large, lavishly illustrated volumes on birds commanded ever-mounting prices among bibliophiles. Gould learned taxidermy at Windsor Castle, where his father was foreman of gardeners.