Israel is said to be both a sanctuary for birds, and a paradise for birdwatching. At the geographical crossroads of three major continents – Africa, Europe, and Asia – Israel serves as a land-bridge (air-bridge rather) and migratory bottleneck. The country’s rich and varied habitats – urban, sea coast, plains, lakes, marshlands, desert, crags, hills and mountains – make it a vital and bustling safe haven for resident birds, migrating birds, wintering birds, and breeding species.
Designed by Miriam Karoly and issued on 13 February 1963, this 1 Israeli Pound stamp was one of ten airmail stamps brought out during 1963 featuring the birds of Israel. The stamp is illustrated with the Purple Heron (Area purpurea). The bird nests in sedge and reeds, and is common in Israel wherever there are carp ponds or lakes
Although Israel is barely 300 miles in length, the variety of its birdlife is rivalled only by the tropics. Israel’s geography and varied habitats, from the snowy Mt. Hermon at 2,200 meters above sea level, to the Great Rift Valley, and down to the Dead Sea depression at 440 meters below sea level, have given it an incredible biodiversity. Each of these habitats host unique birds, wildlife, and special geological phenomena.
The 0.70 Israeli Pounds value was also issued in February 1963. It featured Karoly’s illustration of Scop’s Owl (Opus scops) – a tiny owl, no bigger than a starling, breeding only in Galilee. In the rest of Israel it is a passing migrant in spring and autumn. It nests in holes, sometimes in rock clefts, and in ancient buildings
Israel offers the northern limit of distribution for African bird species like the Arabian Green Bee-eater and Namaqua Dove, as well as the southern limit for European species like finches, the Eurasian Jay and others, and is the western limit of distribution for fascinating Asian species like White-throated Kingfisher, Black-winged Kite and more.
The 0.55 Israeli Pounds value, also issued in February 1963, showed Karoly’s illustration of the Hubara Bustard (Chlamydotis undulata) – a rare bird confined to the Negev. While the bird breeds all over the desert regions of Arabia, where it is hunted by falcons, in Israel it tends to be seen in small flocks, feeding on the young shoots of desert plants in spring, and on beetles, lizards, and locusts
Israel’s desert regions are a major attraction to visiting birdwatchers, and around 60 per cent of the country is considered to be desert… receiving less than 200 mm of rain per annum. The desert regions are themselves diverse, including the sandy semi-Mediterranean dunes of the southern coast, the jagged granite peaks of the Eilat Mountains, and the different desert habitats of southern Israel. Desert regions offer bird species such as larks, sandgrouse, wheatears, and the more enigmatic MacQueen’s Bustard, Desert Owl, and Nubian Nightjar.
The 3.00 Israeli Pounds value in the birds of Israel airmail series, also designed by Miriam Karoly, was issued on 23 October 1963. It shows the very rare White-Tailed Eagle (Haliaetus albicilla). Only a few nests have been found in the Hulah marshes and on Mount Gilboa. Most eagle species to be seen in Israel are winter visitors or passing migrants
In addition to Israel’s resident species, the country lies on one of the most important migration flyways in the world, and twice a year millions of birds of hundreds of species pass through. Complete populations of some species migrate through Israel in the autumn on their way to the wintering grounds in Africa and back again in the spring. During these months migration is evident everywhere, with every bush alive with warblers and the skies rich in raptors, storks, hirundines, and swifts.
On 5 February 1985 eagles and vultures featured in the Bible were illustrated on a four stamp souvenir sheet. The designer was A. Glaser and the birds featured were: the Lappet-Faced Vulture, Bonelli’s Eagle, the Sooty Falcon, and Griffon Vulture
While many species use Israel as a vital stopover and refuelling site on their journey, hundreds of thousands of birds stay there for the winter months. From October to February, Israel’s northern valleys (including the Hula and Bet Shean Valleys) host large numbers of wintering cranes, gulls, pelicans, raptors and passerines, including some highly coveted and rare birds of prey such as Eastern Imperial and Greater Spotted Eagle, Saker Falcon, Pallid Harrier and more.
Issued on 5 February 1985, Glaser’s 100 Israel Shekels value in the biblical birds series featured the Lappet-Faced Vulture (Torgos tracheliotus negevensis) – the largest bird of prey to be found in Israel, and with a wing span of 3 meters. The Israeli birds are a sub-species, differing in appearance from those that are found in Africa and have been named ‘negevensis’ after their nesting places in the Negev and Aravah
The 200 Israel Shekels value is illustrated with Bonelli’s Eagle (Hieraetus fasciatus) In the past, this bird could be found in every rocky wadi in the Carmel, Galilee, and the Judean Hills, but in more recent times with the use of pesticides, most have been wiped out and very few nesting pairs remain
The 300 Israel Shekels value features Glaser’s illustration of the Sooty Falcon (Falco concolor) – Israel’s only autumn-nesting bird of prey. Its diet is based on those migratory birds passing over Israel in autumn on their way south. It can be found in the mountains of Eilat and Sinai, in the Negev and in the Judean Desert
Just as the Bald-Headed Eagle has become accepted as the national bird of the USA, and appears on the American seal, and just as the Emu is the national bird of Australia, the Kiwi the national bird of New Zealand, the Golden Eagle the national bird of Scotland, and the Andean Condor the national bird of a number of South American countries, so also is the Hoopoe the national bird of Israel.
The Hoopoe (Upupa epops) – orange in color, with shades of black and white on its wings and tail – is noted for its orange crest of feathers. The Hoopoe is a resident bird in Israel, nesting in holes in tree trunks and vertical walls of homes.
The Hoopoe appeared in a set of three stamps designed by Tuvia Kurtz and Ronen Goldberg, issued on on 27 January 2010 to mark the choosing of Israel’s national bird. The selection had been made by the public rather than professionals, with 9,500 pre-schools, 4,000 schools, and IDF units participating. Voting was conducted online and at public venues such as the Safari Ramat Gan and the Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem, with some 1,000,000 people taking part in the selection. The Graceful Prinia (Prinia gracilis) was placed second to the Hoopoe, and the Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) third.
The Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus) is the bird illustrated on the 500 Israel Shekels value. Regarded as the ‘king of the birds’, the wingspan of the Griffon Vulture can reach 2.4 meters enabling it to soar for hours over long distances without having to flap its wings
Designed by J. Smith and first issued in 1992 with later printings, a definitive series of stamps featuring songbirds came out. The 0.10 NIS value showing the Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria) was issued on 8 December 1992. Easily recognized by the bold red markings on its wings, the Wallcreeper is a rare winter visitor to Israel, and may be seen in wadis and cliffs in northern Israel and in the Judean Desert
The 0.20 NIS value in the songbirds series was illustrated with Tristram’s Grackle (Onycognathus tristramii) – a black bird with orange wing patches. Tristram’s Grackle can be found around Ein Gedi, Arad and Dimona in southern Israel
The songbirds definitive series also included a 0.30 NIS value showing the White Wagtail (Motacilla alba) – with striking black, white and gray colouring. Flying in from the north, it spends the winter in Israel, and several pairs have bred in the country. Large flocks roost in trees together, both in the city and the countryside
Designed by Tuvia Kurtz, this 2.20 NIS stamp was one of three of the same value celebrating Israel’s birds of the Jordan Valley issued on 27 August 2002. The stamp is illustrated with the Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) soaring over the ruins of Masada and the Dead Sea. While the Golden Eagle is a resident bird in the region, the Jordan Valley – part of the Syrian-African Rift running from the Taurus Mountains in Turkey to the Zambezi River in Africa – is a route flown by migrating birds heading south. Many different species of birds of prey, as well as White and Black Storks, Cranes and Pelicans, and a large variety of songbirds, water birds and others, fly along the high steep ridges of the Judean Desert, Samaria, the Gilboa Mountains, the Beit Shean Valley, the Hula Valley, the Galilee and Golan Heights
The Common Crane (Grus grus) – another bird of the Jordan Valley set designed by Kurtz – represents wintering birds. Some 20,000 Cranes can be found in the Hula Valley during the winter. Large numbers of Cranes had begun to winter there after farmers started to grow peanuts. As a substitute for the nutritious food – and valuable crop – the farmers began to scatter corn for the birds instead, and they soon became an attraction for visitors. On the stamp Cranes are shown flying above the flooded Hula Valley
The Black Stork (Ciconia nigra) represents migrating birds in the Jordan Valley set. Up to to 20,000 Black Storks migrate over the skies of Israel with hundreds of them overwintering mainly in the Beit Shean Valley. On the stamp Black Storks are illustrated flying above the Jordan River
Common Cranes are again featured on one of the three 2.25 NIS stamps designed by Tuvia Kurtz and issued on 5 December 2007 to celebrate the Hula Nature Reserve. In addition to the Cranes, the stamp and the tab shows willow-herb flowers, an otter, a catfish, a snakebird, and a water vole, all against the background of nearby Mount Hermon
The Pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus) is also featured on one of the stamps. In addition to a flock of Pelicans against a background of papyrus sedge, the stamp and its tab show a pale-yellow iris flower, Caspian terrapins, fish, and a white-tailed eagle
A third v2.25 NIS value in the Hula Nature Reserve set shows – on the stamp and on the tab – a jungle cat emerging from a clump of wild raspberry, a Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) against a background of purple loosestrife, a Marbled Duck (Marmaronetta angustirostris), water buffalo, an Indian Purple Gallinule (Porphyrio porphyria), a painted frog, white water lily, and a Goliath or Great Heron (Ardea goliath)
Tuvia Kurtz and Ronen Goldberg were the designers of the birds of Israel set of three stamps – each with a value of 2.40 NIS – issued on 27 January 2010. The illustrations on each stamp were the birds coming first, second, and third, in the process to determine which should be Israel’s national bird. Third placed had been the Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis). A resident bird, it is common along the Mediterranean Sea coast, and spreading to the Negev and Arava areas
The Hoopoe (Upupa epops) is Israel’s national bird
Second placed in the process to find Israel’s national bird was the Graceful Prinia (Prinia gracilis), one of the tiniest of Israel’s birds. It is common in gardens throughout Israel and its Hebrew name, ‘Pashosh’ has become a popular nickname for people who are small and cute
Designed by Meir Eshel and Tuvia Kurtz, and issued on 8 December 2015, a 2.20 NIS ATM postage label was issued showing the Black Francolin (Francolinus francolinus). It was one in a set of five ATM stamps celebrating Partridges and allied birds
Also designed by Eshel and Kurtz, and issued on 8 December 2015, a 2.20 NIS ATM postage label was issued showing the Common Quail (Coturnix coturnix). It was another in a set of five ATM stamps celebrating Partridges and allied birds
Israeli postage stamps בולי דואר ישראליים 