{"id":1532,"date":"2014-06-01T21:28:53","date_gmt":"2014-06-01T21:28:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thejerusalemgiftshop.com\/israelnews\/?p=1532"},"modified":"2014-06-02T04:52:17","modified_gmt":"2014-06-02T04:52:17","slug":"the-national-bird-hoopoe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thejerusalemgiftshop.com\/israelnews\/the-national-bird-hoopoe\/","title":{"rendered":"The National Bird: Hoopoe"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Anna Sangrey<\/p>\n

A flit of black and white near an olive grove resembles a lost zebra, but in Israel, it is the plumage of the national bird\u2014the decadent Hoopoe. Named after its oooop, oooop, oooop call, the bird has black and white stripes down the lower half of its body. Its head and shoulders are rust red, with a crest of loose brown feathers forming a double beak off the back of its head. Its striking appearance\u2014half-dipped in a bucket of<\/p>\n

\"Hoopoe\"<\/a>

Hoopoe<\/p><\/div>\n

black and white paint\u2014gave the Hoopoe celebrity status in ancient Egypt. Then in 2008, Israelis around the nation, school children and stationed soldiers writing or texting in their votes, made this bird Israel’s national ornithological symbol. Around 155,000 people voted in the election with the Hoopoe ranking over even the dove, which is known in Israel for its symbolism and homing instinct\u2014the desire to return home.<\/p>\n

Yet the Hoopoe, in contrast, is a natural wanderer. It is comfortable in many climates and throughout the year travels the globe, taking up residence in countries throughout Europe and Asia. It calls Africa, the Arabian peninsula, India, and China home, and. during its summer breeding season, its range extends into Europe, from Spain up to Sweden, and further into Asia, from Korea to Japan. Birders have also sighted it in England, and extremely rarely, a Hoopoe off its normal migratory pathway may appear in Alaska. The Hoopoe bird, common, mostly silent, and brilliantly dressed, is everywhere.<\/p>\n

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