Picture source: Xinhuanet
The State of Israel finally has its national bird. The Hoopoe [wiki] (Duchifat--דוכיפת --in Hebrew), listed in the Old Testament as unclean and forbidden food for Jews, was selected as Israel's first national bird. Shimon Perez, the country's President, announced on Thursday. The pink, black and white-crested bird, among other candidates such as bulbul and red falcon etc. won a nationwide election held by the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel since November. A total of 155,000 Israeli people participated in the voting, with 35% of them choosing Hoopoe as their national bird. Source: Ynet & Reuters