-Audubon Plates

There are currently three major league teams named after birds, all of which were featured by John James Audubon in his seminal work of natural history The Birds of America.

Plate CII- The Toronto Blue Jays, founded in 1976 as part of MLB’s expansion, selected its name from a fan contest. The blue color had long been used by other professional sports teams in Toronto and also referred to one of the beers produced by team owner Labatt Breweries.

Plate XII- The Baltimore Orioles name dates back to a different National League team that played in the city in the 1890s, and is a reference to the official state bird of Maryland. One of the original teams in the American League, the current Orioles were founded in 1901 as the Milwaukee Brewers and played in St. Louis as the Browns from 1902 to 1953. The current Orioles team has played in Baltimore since 1954.

Plate CLIX- The St. Louis Cardinals started its life in the National League in 1892 as the St. Louis Browns. The Browns were purchased by new owners in 1898, who changed the team name to the Perfectos in 1899. In 1900, the team underwent another name change to become the St. Louis Cardinals, who have played in the city ever since.