Rare Singing Geese Spotted in Israel
After more than a decade, a flock of nine singing swans was spotted in the Hula Valley on Monday. The swans came from northern Europe, and are considered one of the largest species of flying birds.
The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel said this was a rare sight, since these birds usually nest during winter in Europe and around the Caspian Sea. Israel is the southern-most point they reach. The last time these swans were spotted here was 2001.
The swans are named so for their loud call, which is used for courting and to strengthen the ties between the adults and the young. Nadav Yisraeli from the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel said “these are really extraordinary calls, like a trumpet victory tune. This is a very auspicious event, it is always fun to see such a rare bird.”
“So far they’re very happy here,” Yisraeli added. “At nights they go into fish ponds, where the water protects them from predators. In the morning they move to the wheat fields, where they find their food. Shmil, the local farmer, is very happy they’re here and is keeping an eye on them in the hope they stay as long as possible.”
For more, go to Haaretz.com
A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism so that we can be prepared for whatever news the rest of 2025 brings.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Membership Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.
This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
