Bird

Birds in the Old Testament are classified under the Mosaic law into clean and unclean categories, the distinctions roughly corresponding to diet and habitat. Clean birds—those permitted for food and sacrifice—are not listed by species but by implication: any bird not on the prohibited list. The prohibited unclean birds in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 include eagles, vultures, ospreys, kites, ravens, owls, nighthawks, seagulls, hawks, cormorants, ibis, storks, herons, and bats. The underlying principle appears to be the avoidance of birds of prey and carrion-eaters.

Birds played multiple roles in Israelite worship and daily life. Doves and pigeons were offered in sacrifice as a provision for the poor who could not afford larger animals, and two doves or pigeons were the offering prescribed for various purification rites. The release of a live bird over running water was part of the cleansing ritual for healed lepers. In the creation narrative God makes birds on the fifth day alongside sea creatures. The New Testament uses birds as examples of divine providence—the Father feeds them, yet they neither sow nor reap—to argue for trusting God for human needs. The dove became the symbol of the Holy Spirit at Jesus's baptism, drawing on the Genesis image of the Spirit hovering over the waters.