SIGN UP FOR MY EMAIL TO RECEIVE YOUR FREE SAN FRANCISCO PLANNING GUIDE.
- Home
- Alcatraz Prison Tours
- Robert Stroud
Robert Stroud: Facts About the Life of the Birdman of Alcatraz
Discover the facts about Robert Stroud—better known as "the Birdman of Alcatraz"—who was just one of the many infamous prisoners of The Rock.
There are many myths about the details of the Birdman of Alcatraz's life. I love history, so every time I visit this former federal prison in the middle of the SF Bay, I try to learn something new about those who lived here.
Read on to learn the truth about Robert Stroud's life, why he was incarcerated, where he stayed while serving his sentences, and if he actually had birds in his cell at Alcatraz.
Robert Stroud's Early Life
Robert Stroud was born in Seattle, Washington in January 1890. He was the oldest son in the family, and violence was part of his life from day one.
Stroud's father was against his birth from the very beginning. The hatred toward the child was evident, and this brought little Robert and his mother closer together, only making his father's resentment grow.
His father began to abuse him at a young age. Stroud decided he wouldn't put up with the abuse, and at 13, he ran away from home.
For three years, he begged for money and lived with other homeless people traveling around Alaska. At 16, he returned home to Washington briefly, then left again for his beloved Alaska at the age of 18.
While he was working there, Stroud met a prostitute named Kitty O'Brien. This is where his life of crime began.
Stroud's First Crime and Beginning of Life in Prison
With only a grade school education, Stroud started working at age 18 as a railroad construction worker in Alaska. Kitty O'Brien worked at a local bar in Cordova.
Some say Stroud and O'Brien were in love; others say that he was her pimp and he didn't love her at all.
On the fateful night that initially landed Stroud behind bars, no one knows exactly what happened.
Some say that, on a trip back to Juneau, Stroud and O'Brien met an old friend, Charlie Dahmer. They all went out to have drinks and dinner. Later, Stroud found O'Brien beaten up and robbed of her jewelry by Dahmer.
After learning of this, Stroud did something that would change his life: he decided to kill Dahmer for his actions. He hunted him down and shot him to death.
Other stories say that Stroud acted as O'Brien's pimp and shot Dahmer for not paying for her services. Yet others say that Stroud acted out of jealousy or in reaction to Dahmer's insults.
Regardless of what led to the killing, interestingly enough, Stroud went to the police and turned himself in without any issues, simply telling them that they had argued over money.
As to whether it was love or money, I would guess it was the money he loved more than Kitty.
What did the Birdman of Alcatraz do to land him in prison? When teenaged Robert Stroud killed this man in Juneau, Alaska, he was sentenced to 12 years for manslaughter. He ended up spending the rest of his life in prison for what he did behind bars.
After being convicted of manslaughter, Robert Stroud started his term in prison at McNeil Island Federal Penitentiary in Washington State. He quickly became known as a troublesome inmate.
While serving time at McNeil, he stabbed another inmate, who survived. The reason he gave for the stabbing was that the other prisoner snitched on him for taking food to his cell.
Stroud's punishment was six months of solitary confinement. After this punishment was done, he was scheduled to transfer to Leavenworth Penitentiary in Kansas.
Stroud's Time in Leavenworth Prison, Kansas
At the time, Leavenworth was known as one of the toughest prisons in the US. Even still, Robert Stroud's violent career still continued behind bars. While he was incarcerated there, he stabbed and killed a guard.
There are conflicting stories on the reason behind this killing. His story is that he was harassed by the guard. Other prisoners who wrote books about their experiences in Leavenworth confirm this theory.
However, Leavenworth has no documentation about bad blood between the guard and Stroud. Their official conclusion is that it was a random act of violence by Stroud due to his anger issues.
When sentenced to hang for the death of the guard, Robert Stroud's mother tirelessly pleaded to save her son.
Finally, President Woodrow Wilson commuted Stroud's sentence to life in prison. The warden at Leavenworth interpreted this sentence as life in solitary confinement.
In Leavenworth, Stroud decided that being alone meant he could start learning and began to take classes.
He took them through the mail from a number of schools and he was known for being a genius.
He took a 10-month class on higher mathematics and was done in only four months. He also learned German and French. He basically read everything he could and learned whatever was allowed, including law.
Stroud Becomes the Birdman
While incarcerated at Leavenworth, Robert Stroud became interested in birds. It all started one day in 1920 during his one-hour-a-week solitary walk in the exercise yard.
Stroud found three baby sparrows and picked them up. He talked the guard into letting him take the birds to his solitary confinement cell to help them mend.
He then received permission from the warden to keep the birds and help others when needed. His passion grew from there. He began to build cages to treat other birds, mostly canaries.
Since he was in solitary confinement and was only allowed out for one hour a week, he spent 100% of his time with the birds. During this time, Stroud learned a lot about them and how they lived and survived.
A sign on the island with Stroud's official mugshot from Alcatraz, alongside the other infamous prisoners who spent time here.
Stroud also began to study and write about bird diseases. He learned to use research equipment and read scientific journals in foreign languages. He even got permission from the warden to set up a second cell next to him to expand.
The prison cut a walkway between the two cells, so he could go back and forth as much as needed. He ended up with over 300 birds that all lived in cigar boxes in an adjacent cell.
Now a self-taught ornithologist, Stroud also created medical treatments for the birds and started breeding them. Stroud actually made a decent amount of income from this, which made the guards and warden jealous.
Who was Della Mae Jones, wife of Robert Stroud? As Stroud's work gained attention on the outside, he began to correspond with fellow bird researchers and breeders, one of whom was Jones. Read on for the Birdman of Alcatraz's real story for tying the knot.
Della Mae Jones was so impressed by Stroud's work that she moved to Kansas to start a business with him selling his bird medicines.
As you can imagine, the warden was getting tired of Stroud's activities and in 1931, worked to stop Stroud's bird business.
But Stroud didn't want to leave his birds, so he and Della Mae got married. Since Stroud had studied the law, he knew that the state could not move a married prisoner out of state.
After a lot of debate, the warden lost the battle and Stroud was granted permission to continue his studies. People outside the prison continued to support Stroud's efforts and even donated equipment to him.
With all of this happening, Robert Stroud published his first book while at Leavenworth. The book was called Diseases of Canaries (1933).
Around this time, he was suspected of making alcohol with his lab equipment, and the warden finally found a way to get him sent out of state and transferred to Alcatraz.
The Birdman at Alcatraz
Finally, in 1942, Robert Stroud was transferred to Alcatraz Island.
By the time Stroud arrived here, he was already 52 and had spent most of his life in prison, more specifically in solitary confinement.
The rules at Alcatraz were much stricter. Here, Stroud was simply prisoner number 594.
At this maximum security prison, Stroud was unable to continue his hands-on bird business or research.
That's right: Although he is now remembered as "The Birdman of Alcatraz," Robert Stroud never actually kept any birds during his time on The Rock.
Even though he was no longer able to have birds, he kept doing research on them. In 1943, still a prisoner of Alcatraz, Stroud published his second book, Stroud's Digest on the Diseases of Birds.
Two of the solitary confinement cells on the island
- the area where Stroud spent much on his time in this prison.
Even as Stroud was focusing a lot of his time on his research, he still couldn't stay out of trouble.
In 1948, he supported the efforts of a group of prisoners who tried to escape from the island. He did this by donating money to their defense.
In 1948, he also staged a hunger strike with the rest of the prisoners.
How long was Robert Stroud in Alcatraz? The Birdman stayed here for 17 years—6 in solitary confinement, 11 in the prison hospital—until his health began to fail.
Did you know? Robert Stroud wrote about more than just birds. While imprisoned in Alcatraz, he wrote Looking Outward: An Historical and Analytical Story of the Federal Prison System from the Inside. However, he was denied the right to publish it.
Disclaimer: I receive a small commission from some of the links on this page.
Deals on Alcatraz Tours
Learn more about the Birdman of Alcatraz on one of these combo tours.
The Birdman's End of Life
In 1959, Robert Stroud was transferred out of Alcatraz to the Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri.
Such a prominent figure—infamous for his violent actions but also glorified for his accomplishments behind bars—one might expect a dramatic end to his life.
So what did Robert Stroud die of?
The Birdman of Alcatraz's cause of death was natural causes. Stroud died quietly in his sleep in his cell in 1963. He was 73.
Where is Robert Stroud's grave? He was buried in the Masonic Cemetery in Metropolis, Illinois.
'Birdman of Alcatraz' Movie
In 1962 while Stroud was still alive, a movie about his life called the Birdman of Alcatraz was released. It starred Burt Lancaster as Robert Stroud and received four Academy Award nominations.
Stroud was never able to see the movie, since prison rules prohibited it. According to the laws in Alcatraz, prisoners couldn't watch or read any stories that included violence or crime.
Some of the controversy around Stroud's life and confusion around the real Robert Stroud are due to the film and the 1955 book it was based on.
They portrayed Stroud as a kind, gentle bird lover, who perhaps deserved the parole that was denied to him for 24 years.
However, I've also read several accounts and descriptions of Stroud from inmates who served with him. All of them affirm that he was a very violent man. Many also refer to him as a sociopath who deserved most of the treatment he received.
Unlike many of the other convicts, such as Al Capone, who were already famous for their actions, the Birdman only really became famous for what he did after he was incarcerated.
Fun Fact: Burt Lancaster, the famous actor who played Stroud, met with the real-life Birdman after the film came out in 1963. It is said that he petitioned for Stroud's release, but Stroud died shortly after.
More on Alcatraz
Biography of Al Capone: Learn more about the life and downfall of the most infamous prisoner of Alcatraz, Al Capone. Here you can learn more about why he went to prison, how he ended up in Alcatraz, and where he lived out his final days.
Prisoners of Alcatraz: Discover what it was like to be a prisoner of Alcatraz and learn more about two other notorious prisoners: Machine Gun Kelly and Henri (Henry) Young.
Escapes from Alcatraz: How many prisoners tried to escape from Alcatraz? What are the most famous escape attempts? Did any succeed? Uncover the answers to these questions and more.
Alcatraz Prison Tours: How are the day and night tours different? Find out more about your options to visit the island and use these helpful tips to determine which one is right for you.
Visit Alcatraz: Do you already have your tickets? If so, it's time to plan the details of your trip, from taking the ferry to making the most of your time on Alcatraz Island.
Comments? Questions? Suggestions?
I would love for you to join me in my private Facebook group!
It's a great place to interact with me and others who know the area well.
You can ask questions, get advice for your upcoming stay, and then share your photos and advice with others when you return home. It's a great community and the fastest way to get answers to those nagging questions about your visit!