Ornithology is a bebop jazz standard credited to Charlie Parker and Benny Harris, dating from 1946. It is a contrafact: a new melody written over the chord progression of the standard "How High the Moon". The Charlie Parker Septet first recorded it on 28 March 1946 at Radio Recorders Studios in Hollywood, and the recording was issued as a single on the Dial label, with "A Night in Tunisia" on the B-side. The track runs 3:03.
The tune became one of the most popular and frequently performed bebop pieces. Bud Powell recorded a well-known version, and a 1957 recording by Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker is also notable. Babs Gonzales wrote vocalese lyrics for it, and jazz singers scatting on "How High the Moon", Ella Fitzgerald among them, often quote its melody. The song has no original lyrics, although Eddie Jefferson recorded a vocal version in 1976. Ornithology was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1989, and Percival Everett's novel Suder features it prominently.
