Bird watching

In Hula Valley, a Hanukkah crane ritual connects modern families, ancient texts - opinion

Israel’s bird migrations offer a Hanukkah ritual that echoes the natural world Jeremiah once used to teach his people.

Wings beat in perfect unison, massive birds rising into the brightening sky.
Parisian psychologist Catherine Hervais holds a pigeon's toeless foot showing the consequence strings can have on the bird on her daily mission to care for the capital's pigeons in front of the Centre Pompidou (aka Beaubourg) in Paris, France, November 4, 2025.

Sharks, pigeons may have something in common - the electric sensors in their ears - study

The golden thrush (Zoothera aurea), spotted for the first time in Israel on October 30, 2025.

White's thrush spotted in Israel for the first time by local birdwatcher

 The gull which traveled from Portugal to Israel was tagged, allowing researchers to trace its path.

From Portugal to Israel: The gull that traveled the longest distance ever


Pigeons can understand space and time, match wits with AI - study

The finding underscores that animals beyond humans and primates show abstract intelligence.

Not a bird brain

What does Israel's chief birder think about birds of the Jewish state?

Prof. Yossi Leshem sat down recently with the Magazine to give his bird’s eye view of the avian populations that cross the Israeli skies.

 YOSSI LESHEM: At age 21, in 1968. On his shoulder: An owl he cared for after it was hit by a military vehicle near the Suez Canal.

Why I started feeding birds in Jerusalem

For me, feeding God’s creatures is like a song of praise to the Creator, and they repay me with birdsong.

 Birds are silhouetted as they fly during sunset in Jerusalem.

Scientists identify birds in 3,300 year old Egyptian painting

Not all the bird species in the art had been identified in the century since it was found— until Oxford University researchers decided to try.

Pigeons resting inside a crevice in the Western Wall

Resilient black kite birds deterred from taking residence in Israel

The kite used to nest and raise its young in Israel 70-80 years ago. Many a nesting pair could be seen near Tel Aviv and in northern Israel. 

 Resilient black kite birds deterred from taking residence in Israel.

KKL-JNF snaps sweet photo of flamingos in Israel

Flamingos that are still in Israel in December are likely to stay until the end of the winter.

 Two flamingos form the shape of a heart with their necks.

A new species of owl was found in Africa, and it's hauntingly beautiful

The species was discovered by scientists in 2016, but suspicions of its existence gained traction from 1998, and testimonies from local people suggest its existence could be traced back to 1928.

 Otus bikegila

Songbirds compose music similarly to humans -study

The team found that the order of song elements in the butcherbird songs shares a predictive relationship with how those elements are rhythmically timed.

Music notes

KKL-JNF launches live birdwatching feeds at Lake Hula

The Hula Valley is a major stopover for birds migrating between Africa, Europe and Asia through the Syrian-African Rift Valley.

Bird in the Hula Valley

Human activity influenced bird behavior during COVID lockdowns - study

The study states that the likelihood that birds were to be found in developed urban areas and in less-developed green spaces is the same.

Birds of a different gender need a break from each other - so split to different temperate areas.