robert stroud

Robert Stroud, known as the "Birdman of Alcatraz," was an American convicted murderer who became a noted ornithologist while serving a long prison sentence. Born in 1890 in Seattle, Washington, he was first imprisoned for manslaughter after killing a bartender in Alaska in 1909. Later, in 1916, Stroud killed a prison guard and was sentenced to death, but his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in solitary confinement. During his imprisonment at Leavenworth Penitentiary, Stroud developed an interest in birds, particularly canaries. He raised and studied about 300 birds, wrote authoritative books on avian diseases, and made contributions to bird pathology. His work earned respect in ornithology, though there was controversy over the effectiveness of some remedies he developed. In 1942, Stroud was transferred to Alcatraz, where he spent 17 years but was not allowed to keep birds. He died in 1963 in a federal prison hospital in Missouri. Stroud's life story was later popularized in the 1962 film "Birdman of Alcatraz," starring Burt Lancaster, though the film portrayed him in a more sympathetic light than some prison officials did. His character and life continue to provoke discussion on crime, punishment, and redemption.