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ISRAEL: Hail the hoopoe, the national bird

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Israelis made some tough decisions this year. Not whether to cede the West Bank or the Golan Heights, but other issues of importance: favorite prime minister of all time, preferred ballgame munchies (sunflower or pumpkin seeds?), the symbol of Israelis (crocks, guns or cellphone?), most hated traitor (Mordechai Vanunu, Udi Adiv or Marcus Klingberg?). Websites put these and other queries to vote during the year.

Defining Israeliness isn’t easy in a country constantly growing in numbers and diversity. Large portions of the population haven’t experienced some of the country’s most defining, formative moments. Israel (population 7.2 million) has grown by 3.4 million since signing the peace treaty with Egypt, 2 million since the Oslo accords and 1.5 million since Yitzhak Rabin’s assassination.

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So it’s back to basics: nature, a true love shared by most Israelis. Earlier this year Israel chose its favorite tree (olive), flower (Persian cyclamen, Rakefet in Hebrew), and now its national bird.

The six-month-long campaign, tied to Israel’s 60th anniversary, was led by the SPNI with government support and brought together kindergartners, legislators and even diplomatic missions abroad.

Hail the hoopoe!

The announcement came last week in the presence of President Shimon Peres, who pledged his support to nature protection and particularly birding. Many couldn’t resist making bird-puns; Peres is Hebrew for the bearded vulture, in danger of extinction and 25 years gone from Israel’s landscape. Born in 1923, the iconic Peres is himself a rare bird, a unique specimen. ‘Please help us restore the Peres to Israel, for what is Israel without Peres?’ said TV man Motti Kirschenbaum.

Key location along migration routes makes Israel the perfect center for bird-watching. Millions of birds pass through Israel annually, providing spectacular sights for locals and drawing bird lovers from around the world. More than 530 species spend different stretches of time in the country, around 200 of those as nesting residents. But a recent SPNI report expresses concern that dozens are endangered and even face extinction, and urges better nature preservation in Israel for the sake of future generations.

The hoopoe, with its distinctive crest, is no newcomer to the land. It was mentioned in the Bible, its name is derived from Aramaic and it is said to have carried King Solomon’s invitation to the Queen of Sheba across the ancient lands. Appropriately, Ethiopian Jewry called it the Moses bird, hoping it would lead them to Zion. Some of its habits may be questionable, but without doubt it is a pretty and special bird.

So, what’s so Israeli about the hoopoe? reporter and blogger Shahar Ilan asks, and answers (Hebrew): the baseless pretension. ‘The hoopoe is a poor man’s peacock, a bimbo in a Mercedes, Europe in the Middle East. Just like us.’

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There’s another thing. Anyone who’s read Salmon Rushdie’s ‘Haroun and the Sea of Stories’ remembers the fantastic transportation, Butt the Hoopoe: ‘Hold on to hats ... record time! Va-va-va-voom! No problem.’ A bit like Israeli driving.

— Batsheva Sobelman in Jerusalem

Left: A nesting hoopoe (duchifat in Hebrew). Credit: Ofir Lotan. Right: President Shimon Peres presented the national bird shirt. Credit: Moshe Milner, Government Press Office.

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