Birds of the Land

FLORA AND FAUNA

Birds of the Land

Not every bird is passing through. Many species live in Israel all year, and a visitor who walks through a park, an orchard, or a village will meet several of them. Hawks and falcons also circle over many fields.

Hoopoe Israel's national bird

דוכיפתUpupa epops

The hoopoe is a cinnamon-colored bird with black and white wings and a fan-shaped crest that it raises when excited. It was chosen as Israel's national bird in a public vote in 2008. It has a long, curved bill that it uses to probe lawns and soil for insects. It is common in parks, orchards, and gardens across the country, and it nests in holes in trees and walls. Its soft, three-note call, oop-oop-oop, gives the bird its English name.

Glossary: Hoopoe

White-spectacled bulbul The bold garden songbird

בולבול מצויPycnonotus xanthopygos

The white-spectacled bulbul is a medium-sized songbird with a dark head, pale body, and a yellow patch beneath the tail. It is one of the most common and noisy birds in Israeli gardens, parks, and cafe terraces, and it is bold enough to take crumbs from tables. Bulbuls eat fruit and insects and often build a cup-shaped nest in a bush or balcony. Their cheerful, whistling calls are among the first sounds heard in towns at dawn.

Glossary: White-spectacled bulbul

Palestine sunbird A tiny jewel at the flowers

צופית ארץ ישראליתCinnyris osea

The Palestine sunbird is a tiny, nectar-feeding bird with a long, curved bill. In spring the male shines metallic green and purple, while the female is a plain olive-brown. It hovers briefly or clings to the stem to sip from blossoms such as hibiscus, aloe, and eucalyptus, and it also catches small insects. Sunbirds are common in gardens and wadis from the Galilee to the Dead Sea. The hanging, pouch-like nest is woven from grass and spider silk.

Glossary: Palestine sunbird

Flora and Fauna page 10 of 15

BRD00 Open on your phone $.- ’)*2’ %˜*(„-›„„

FLORA AND FAUNA

B I R D S O F T H E L A N D , CO N T I N U E D

Griffon vulture

A giant of the cliffs

נשר מקראיGyps fulvus

The griffon vulture is one of the largest birds in Israel, with a wingspan of up to two and a half meters. It nests on cliffs in the Golan, the Judean desert, and the Negev, and it soars for hours on warm air, looking for carcasses. At Gamla, in the Golan, visitors can watch the birds from a lookout. The vulture's Hebrew name, nesher, appears often in the Bible. Griffons are endangered locally, and conservationists feed them and track them with tags.

Glossary: Griffon vulture

Barn owl

A pale hunter of the night

תנשמת לבנהTyto alba

The barn owl is a pale, heart-faced owl that hunts silently over fields at night. It eats mostly mice and voles, and it is a valuable ally to farmers. In Israel, farmers have set up thousands of nest boxes across fields and orchards to attract barn owls and reduce chemical poisons for pest control. The program is one of the best-known examples of biological pest control in the world. Barn owls also nest in old buildings and cliffs. They are often heard as a harsh hiss.

Glossary: Barn owl

Eurasian jay A colorful bird of the oak woods

עורבניGarrulus glandarius

The Eurasian jay is a pinkish-brown bird with a flash of bright blue on each wing. It lives in oak and pine woods of the Galilee, the Carmel, and the Judean hills. Jays are noisy and cautious, and they hide acorns in the ground for winter. Many of the acorns are forgotten and sprout, so the jay helps oak forests to spread. It is often heard before it is seen, with a harsh, scratchy call that can carry through the woods.

Glossary: Eurasian jay

Flora and Fauna page 11 of 15

BRD00 Open on your phone $.- ’)*2’ %˜*(„-›„„

FLORA AND FAUNA

B I R D S O F T H E L A N D , CO N T I N U E D

Dove

A bird of Genesis and the city

יונהColumba livia

The Hebrew word yonah covers the wild rock dove of the cliffs and the city pigeons that descended from it. Doves have lived near people for thousands of years, and they nest on ledges, in cliffs, and on buildings. In Genesis, Noah sends out a dove, and it returns with an olive leaf, a sign that the flood has ended. The dove has since become a symbol of peace in many cultures. In Israel today, doves are common on the streets of every city.

Glossary: Dove

Hooded crow

Clever and everywhere

עורב אפורCorvus cornix

The hooded crow has a black head, wings, and tail, and a grey body. It lives in cities, fields, and beaches throughout the country. It is one of the smartest birds in Israel, able to open food containers, use tools, and recognize individual faces. Crows eat nearly anything, from fruit to scraps and carrion. They nest in tall trees, often in noisy colonies. Farmers sometimes dislike them for pulling seedlings, but they also clear away waste and insects.

Glossary: Hooded crow

Syrian woodpecker

A drummer of the orchards

נקר סוריDendrocopos syriacus

The Syrian woodpecker is a black-and-white woodpecker with a pinkish-red patch under the tail. It lives in orchards, parks, and villages, where it drills into trees for insects, and it drums on dead branches to claim territory. It nests in holes it digs in tree trunks. The species spread into Israel and nearby lands from the north over the last century, helped by the growth of orchards. Its loud, sharp call is a regular sound in the early morning.

Glossary: Syrian woodpecker

Flora and Fauna page 12 of 15

BRD00 Open on your phone $.- ’)*2’ %˜*(„-›„„

FLORA AND FAUNA

B I R D S O F T H E L A N D , CO N T I N U E D

Common myna

A newcomer from Asia

מיינה מצויהAcridotheres tristis

The common myna is a brown bird with a bright yellow patch around each eye. It is not native to Israel. Escaped pet birds started a wild population in the 20th century, and since then the species has spread through towns and cities. Mynas are noisy, bold, and aggressive, and they push out other birds from nest holes. For this reason, many consider the myna a pest, and some municipalities try to control it. It remains one of the most visible birds in Israeli cities.

Glossary: Common myna

Common kestrel

The hovering falcon

בז מצויFalco tinnunculus

The common kestrel is a small falcon with a rusty back and a grey head in the male. It hunts by hovering in place over a field or roadside, watching for mice and large insects. Some kestrels nest on the ledges of apartment buildings, and in a few towns, people have built nest boxes for them. Many winter visitors join the resident birds in the autumn. In the Hebrew language the bird is called a baz, and its high, fast call, kee-kee-kee, can be heard from rooftops.

Glossary: Common kestrel

Long-legged buzzard A hawk of the open hills

עקב עיטיButeo rufinus

The long-legged buzzard is a large, broad-winged hawk with a pale head and a rusty tail. It soars over hills, fields, and the edge of the desert, hunting mice, lizards, and snakes. It nests on cliffs and in trees, and it is one of the largest hawks that live in the country year-round. In winter, birds from farther north join the resident population. It is often seen perched on a pole beside a road, watching for movement in the grass.

Glossary: Long-legged buzzard

Flora and Fauna page 13 of 15

BRD00 Open on your phone $.- ’)*2’ %˜*(„-›„„