Jun 14 2008
The Hoopoe: Israel’s new national bird
The State of Israel finally has a national bird. Behold, the Hoopoe, chosen during this year’s celebration of the 60th anniversary of the nation’s independence.
The Hoopoe
(Photo by Dhaval Momaya, via Wikipedia)
According to a news brief from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, the bird is native to the Middle East and has an Israeli commando unit named after it.
The Hoopoe beat out other winged candidates such as the Palestine Sunbird and the Bulbul, which is also known in Hebrew as a slang term for the penis. Last year, the Bulbul was really close to being tabbed, as reported on Haaretz.com. But by late 2007, their was a small list of contenders who would be voted on by this year’s 60th anniversary celebration.
Rather than read more about it here, watch Stephen Colbert of the Colbert Report in this hilarious coverage of the nation’s new national bird.
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