Myth: The Birdman of Alcatraz had over 300 birds in his cell
01/01/07 00:00 Filed in: Famous
People
Did the birdman of Alcatraz REALLY
keep all those birds in his cell?
Myth
As shown in the classic 1962 film of the same name, Robert Stroud kept over 300 small birds in his cell.
Reality
OK. Splitting hairs I know. But for all the years Robert Stroud spent in Alcatraz (1942-1959) he was not allowed to keep a single bird.
His reputation for Ornithology is based purely upon his work with birds at Leavenworth. He wrote several works such as "Diseases of Canaries" and "Stroud's Digest on the Diseases of Bird" while an inmate in Leavenworth.
In 1933, however, Stroud took out an advertisement to publicise the fact that he had not received any royalties from the sales of "Diseases of Canaries". In retaliation, the publisher complained to the warden, and as a result, proceedings began to transfer Stroud to Alcatraz, where he would not be permitted to keep his birds.
He should therefore be more accurately known as the "The Birdman of Leavenworth".
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