| Much of Israel's native wildlife is mentioned in the bible, which takes place primarily in
and around the land of Israel. Below is a sample of biblical birds: |
Grey heron
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"And these you shall not eat are: the nesher
(Griffon vulture), and the peres(lammergeier) and the
'ozniyah (lappet faced vulture). And the ra-ah(??)
ayah (honey buzzard)and the dayah(kite)
species. And all of the 'orev (raven/crow) species. And the bat
haya'anah(ostrich) and the tahmas(??) and the
shahaf (seagull) and the netz(hawk) species. And
the kos
(little owl) and the yanshuf (long-eared owl) and the
tinshemet (barn owl). And the ka-at(a kind of desert bird?) and
the rahama
(Egyptian vulture) and the shlakh (osprey). And the
hasida (stork) and the anafa (heron) species and the
dukhifat (hoopoe) and the bat."(Deuteronomy 14:12-19)
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| "The buds have appeared in the land, the time of
the zamir
(nightingale) has arrived and the voice tor (turtle dove) is heard
in our land"(Song of Songs 2:12) |
| "And he sent forth the'orev (raven) and it went
to and fro until the water had dried up from the land" (Genesis 8:7) |
Ostrich
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"The beast of the field shall honour Me, jackals and
bnot ya'anah(ostriches),
because I have given water in the desert and rivers in the wilderness so that My chosen people
may drink" (Isaiah, 43:20)
"...And the bnot ya'anah(ostriches) shall
dwell there and it shall never more be inhabited...(Jeremiah, 50:39)
"And wild desert birds will brood there and their
houses will be filled with ohim (eagle owls) and
bnot ya'anah (ostriches) will dwell there and se'irim
(Scops owls) will dance there."(Isaiah 13:21)
"Therefore I will wail and howl...I will
wail like the jackals
and mourn like the bnot ya'anah(ostriches)"
(Micah, 1:8) |
Griffon vulture
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"I will carry you on the wings of
nesharim
(Griffon vultures)"(Exodus, 19:4)
"For thus said the Lord behold he shall soar like a
nesher
(Griffon vulture) and spread his wings over Moab" (Jeremiah, 48:40)
"Our pursuers were swifter than nesharim
(Griffon vultures); they chased us over the mountains and ambushed us in the
wilderness"(Lamentations 4:19)
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White storks
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"The hasida (stork) in the sky knows its
appointed times and the tor (turtle dove) and the siys
(swift)and the 'agur (crane) observe the time of their
coming..." (Jeremiah 8:7) |
Cranes
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| "Where the birds make their nests, the
hasida (stork)
makes its home in in cypress trees"(Psalms 104:17) |
| ...And behold two women came out and the wind
was in their wings like the wings of a hasida
(stork)...(Zechariah 5:9) |
| "I resembled a desert ka-at (a type of desert bird)
I was like a kos (little owl) among the ruins" (Psalms 102:7) |
Dove
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"My yonah (dove) in the rock clefts, in
the secret crevices, reveal yourself to me and let me hear your voice, for your voice is
pleasant and your appearance comely" (Song of Songs 2:14)
"And he sent forth the
yonah (dove) from him to see whether the water had receded from the ground.
But the yonah(dove) did not find a place to land and returned to him, to
the Ark.... "(Genesis 8:8-9)
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