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Alexander Wilson ( July 6, 1766 - August 23, 1813) was a Scottish-born American poet, ornithologist, naturalist and illustrator.

Wilson was born in Paisley, Scotland, the son of an illiterate distiller. In 1779 he was apprenticed as a weaver. His main interest at this time was in writing poetry, and his poems commenting on the unfair treatment of the weavers by their employers got him into trouble with the authorities. The "golden age of Renfrewshire song" is embodied in the persons of Wilson and Robert Tannahill.

Wilson was seven years younger than Robert Burns and eight years older than Tannahill. He was born near the Hammils, a broad if not steep waterfall in Paisley where the river Cart skirts Seedhill. It does indeed appear to be the case, as William Motherwell states, that a great amount of literary activity began in Paisley around this time.

In May 1794 Wilson left Scotland with his nephew to find a better life in America. Wilson obtained employment as a schoolteacher in Milestown, near Philadelphia. In 1801 he left Milestown and found a new teaching post in Gray's Ferry, PennsylvaniaPennsylvania (the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is one of four states of the United States of America that is called a commonwealth. It has given its name to the Pennsylvanian time period in geology. Pennsylvania is called the Keystone State. Although Swed; Wilson took up residence in nearby KingsessingFormerly an independent town on the southwestern outskirts of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Kingsessing has been since the 19th century a subdivision of that city. The name comes from a Native American word for "swampy place". Kingsessing was the birthplace. It was here that he met the famous naturalist William BartramWilliam Bartram ( April 20, 1739 July 22, 1823) was an American naturalist, the son of John Bartram. Bartram was born in Kingsessing, Pennsylvania. He accompanied his father on many of his travels, to the Catskill Mountains and Florida, and was noted at a who developed Wilson's interest in ornithologyOrnithology is the branch of biology concerned with the scientific study of birds. It includes observations on the structure and classification of birds, and on their habits, song and flight. Regional associations and societies Europe United Kingdom West. In 1802 Wilson decided to publish a book illustrating all the North AmericaNorth America is the third largest continent in area and the fourth ranked in population. It is bounded on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific Ocean birdFor other meanings of bird see bird (disambiguation). Many see text Birds are bipedal, warm-blooded, egg-laying vertebrates characterized primarily by feathers, forelimbs modified as wings, and hollow bones. There are almost 9000 known species of birds ins. With this in mind he travelled widely, watching and painting birds and collecting subscribers for his book. The result was the nine-volume American Ornithology (1808-1814), illustrating 268 species of birds, 26 of which had not previously been described. He died during the writing of the ninth volume, which was completed and published after his death by his friend George OrdGeorge Ord ( 1781 January 24, 1866) was an American ornithologist. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father was a rope maker and Ord joined him in the business, continuing after his fathers death in 1806. In 1829 he retired from the business so that.

Wilson is now regarded as the greatest American ornithologist prior to Audubon. It was his meeting with Audubon in Louisville, Kentucky in 1810 which probably inspired the younger man to produce a book of his own bird illustrations.

Several species of bird were named for Wilson, including Wilson's Storm-petrel, Wilson's Plover, Wilson's Phalarope and Wilson's Warbler. The warbler genus Wilsonia was also named for him by Charles Lucien Bonaparte.