National Birdorable of Israel: Hoopoe

The Hoopoe, a striking and unique crested bird, was named the official national bird of Israel in May 2008. The bird won a national survey to become the honored bird. Stephen Colbert had some fun making the announcement on his show last week. We couldn't miss the opportunity to further honor the beautiful Hoopoe, already a member of the Birdorable family, with a special Birdorable of Israel edition.

The design is available on t-shirts and other gifts:

Comments

Ashira on June 16, 2008 at 6:10 PM wrote:
Hoopoes are so cute! :) What a remarkable honor.
Abdelhadi Matar on September 17, 2020 at 12:10 PM wrote:
What a win to name the Hoopoe as Israel National Bird. But to be honest as a Muslim,I am still shocked to find how Muslim World wide ignored to claim the honor?! The Hoopoe is a very sacred Bird to Muslims as it is the only bird mentioned by name in Quoran as a narration to the Biblical story of king Solomon with Queen Sheba of Yemen. Congratulations despite of your very late claim (2008) because king Solomn Biblical stories should be deeply embeded in the Jewish culture !!!!
Peter on December 1, 2020 at 4:14 AM wrote:
Though colorfully and conspicuously dressed, the hoopoe is notably unclean in home and habits. Its diet of insects is obtained by probing with its sharp bill not only into the ground but also into dunghills and other filth. The nest gives off a disagreeable odor produced by secretions of the bird’s oil glands, and it also becomes foul smelling due to the bird’s failure to clean the nest of excrement. Thus, while not a bird of prey nor an eater of carrion, the hoopoe was included among the birds listed as unclean for food in the Mosaic Law.

Leave a comment

Comments with links or HTML will be deleted. Your comment will be published pending approval.
Your email address will not be published
You can unsubscribe from these communications at any time. For more information on how to unsubscribe, our privacy practices, and how we are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy, please review our Privacy Policy. By clicking submit below, you consent to allow Birdorable to store and process the personal information submitted above to provide you the content requested.

Festive Name, Fascinating Bird: The Birdorable Christmas Shearwater

Today is Christmas Day! And it’s the last day of our 2020 Birdorable Bonanza. Our final bird is the Christmas Shearwater, a species of shearwater found around tropical and subtropical islands in the Pacific Ocean, including Christmas Island. This bird has a festive...

2020 Bonanza Bird #9: Tufted Coquette

Today’s new Birdorable species is a tiny type of hummingbird found in northeastern parts of South America. Look at the crazy plumage of the Tufted Coquette! There are 11 species of coquette in the genus Lophornis. All of these tiny hummingbirds...

2015 Bonanza Bird #15: Superb Parrot

Our Birdorable Bonanza: 2015 Advent Edition continues today with a parrot that lives Down Under: the Superb Parrot! The Superb Parrot is a medium-sized species of parrot endemic to Australia, where it is found in the southeastern states of New South Wales...

The Calliope Hummingbird: A Tiny Marvel of Nature

As our Hummingbird Week 2024 starts to wind down, we are proud to introduce the smallest breeding bird of North America to our Birdorable family-- it's the Calliope Hummingbird! The Calliope Hummingbird is a marvel in the bird world despite its small size. Named after Calliope, the muse of...