In the drawing room of the United States ambassador's residence in Canberra, there is a large-scale portrait of two king parrots sitting on a branch.
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Their vivid reds and greens are a constant source of pleasure for John Berry and his husband Curtis Yee, who acquired the work, by Canberra artist Ekaterina Mortensen, at the Royal Canberra Show last year.
But even better is when they glance out on the terrace each morning to see the real thing flitting about.
"I think it's one of the most amazing birds on the planet and they're relatively common here - you sort of take them for granted," Mr Berry said.
"When we see them our jaws fall open, so shame on us if we let species like this not be around for our children and grandchildren to enjoy."
He was speaking as host of a tour last week of some of the artworks he and Mr Yee have acquired on loan as part of the US Art in Embassies initiative.
Each ambassador is allowed to select a theme as well as the individual works they display throughout the residence during their tenure.
As the former director of the National Zoo in Washington DC and a lifelong conservationist, Mr Berry has chosen an eclectic range of works relating to conservation and the environment to scatter throughout the massive, southern-style residence with lake views he shares with Mr Yee.
Accompanied by their amiable half-poodle Hapa, the couple strolled through the mansion, speaking at length about individual works and their passion for conservation and environmental issues.
"One of the themes we're talking about with the show is the big question: Why should we care?" Mr Berry said.
"Well, eight out of 10 of most discoveries that are treating [disease], they're coming out of discoveries from plants or coral reefs or the natural world that have evolved for millions of years. And for every species that we lose, no matter how beautiful or unglamorous they are, we may be clearing the pharmacy shelves of the future. So if you care about your kids, you should care about conservation - that's one of the core themes that we hope to communicate through these works."
The collection includes paintings, carvings and photography by a mix of American and Australian artists.
Mr Berry and Mr Yee are also committed art lovers and, since their arrival in Australia, devotees of the Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize, where they have picked up works for both their private collection, and as part of the Art in Embassies scheme.
Mr Yee was particularly taken by a panel by David Atkins made of 120 sardine tins, with the image of a sea dragon painted over them in gold leaf.
"He uses this piece to show us how we treat some sea life like sardines as fungible," he said. "But on the other hand we treat other more rare creatures like the leafy sea dragon as icons. So it's all about rarity but also about the abundance of what we find in our oceans."
Mr Berry also spoke about the many triumphant stories that have emerged from the conservationist movement, such as the transition during his lifetime of the iconic bald eagle from severely endangered to flying freely through every US state today.
"We have a number of stories [in the collection] about animals that are about recovery - it's not all about loss," he said.
