A Collection of five Watercolours of Birdsincluding a Curlew, a Golden-Crowned Manakin, a bearded Manua, a Brazilian Finch and a male Padda

These portraits of birds would have been executed by Hayes when he was living with his family at Southall, Middlesex in the 1780s. His then patron, Robert Child of Osterly, had set Hayes the task of documenting the birds in his menagerie. These drawings were later published in Portraits of Rare and Curious Birds from Species in the Menagerie at Osterley Park (1794-99). Despite his accomplishment as a painter, Hayes' life was beset by physical and financial difficulty. Consequently he had to rely on the help of his wife and children to assist him in hand-colouring of his plates. He is also noted for having drawn what are considered to be relatively early life-size portraits of birds in the 1770s, which, although accurate, did not present the birds in their natural habitat.