Birds

Birds appear throughout the Bible in natural history, ritual law, figurative language, and theological symbolism. The Mosaic law distinguished between clean and unclean birds (Leviticus 11:13–19; Deuteronomy 14:11–20), prohibiting eagles, vultures, ravens, ostriches, owls, hawks, pelicans, storks, herons, and other birds of prey. Doves and pigeons were permitted and were the sacrifice option for the poor who could not afford a lamb (Leviticus 5:7; 12:8; Luke 2:24). Two birds were used in the cleansing ritual for leprosy (Leviticus 14:4–7). The general avifauna of Palestine is rich, lying on major migratory flyways between Africa, Asia, and Europe.

Biblically significant birds include the dove (symbol of peace and the Holy Spirit, Genesis 8:8–12; Matthew 3:16), the raven (which fed Elijah, 1 Kings 17:4–6), the eagle (symbol of God's sustaining care and swift judgment, Exodus 19:4; Isaiah 40:31), the sparrow and swallow (images of God's providential care of the humble, Psalm 84:3; Matthew 10:29–31), and the cock (whose crowing marked Peter's denial, Matthew 26:74). Solomon's wisdom encompassed speaking of birds (1 Kings 4:33). The Psalms and prophets use bird imagery extensively for the instincts of migration and nesting (Jeremiah 8:7; Proverbs 27:8).