“With its religious iconography and ornate throne, the 15th century painting Madonna della Vittoria seems a typical Italian Renaissance work – apart, that is, from the appearance of an Australasian cockatoo in the background.

The discovery of an animal more closely associated with suburban Sydney than Venice is leading historians into a rethink of early trading networks into Europe.

The painting, completed by Andrea Mantegna in 1496 and now hanging in the Louvre, clearly shows what appears to be a sulphur-crested cockatoo perched above Mary, mother of Jesus.”

Read more here: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/19/cockatoo-perched-in-renaissance-painting-forces-rethink-of-history