A Worthy Bird
TAKE FLIGHT: The hoopoe was named Israel?s national bird.
In a fitting tribute to the spirit of the Jewish people, Israel’s newly chosen national bird is the hoopoe. Known for its golden crown of feathers, this bird is the subject of many stories and legends. Perhaps the most famous is one involving King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.
TAKE FLIGHT: The hoopoe was named Israel?s national bird.
As the legend goes, the Queen of Sheba comes to visit King Solomon in his royal palace and wishes to see a display of might. In order to fulfill her request, King Solomon summons all the birds of the world before him, determined to build her a palace of bird beaks. The hoopoe is the last to arrive, but he cleverly invokes the riddle game, summarily causing King Solomon to realize that his request is inhumane. To honor the hoopoe for his courage and daring, King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba gift him with a golden crown.
Despite the prominent place it holds in Jewish folklore, the hoopoe is listed in the Old Testament as “abhorrent” — an impure, forbidden food.
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
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 during this critical time.
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. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
