Birdwatchers flock to Israel in autumn and spring to see over 500 species of migrating birds. Indeed, more than 500 million birds visit Israel twice annually using the East African-Palearctic flyway corridor.

Peak fall migration occurs in October and November, when birds fly to Africa. The spring peak is in March and April, when they fly to Europe and Asia. Surprisingly, the noise of war barely impacts the scale of migration because of the birds’ evolutionary directional programming.

Key categories of migrating birds are those that soar, such as white storks, pelicans, honey-buzzards and eagles, and songbirds and smaller species like warblers, whose flapping is continuous. Common cranes and starlings are among the birds who, instead of flying all the way to Africa, sometimes winter in Israel, settling in places like the Hula Valley, a site of worldwide significance for waterbirds—and birdwatchers—and an important wetland reserve in the Middle East.

Other top spots for birdwatching include the Ma’agan Michael Birding Park, along the Carmel coast near the meeting of the Taninim Stream and the Mediterranean, where fall visitors can see pelicans and kingfishers; and the urban Nili and David Jerusalem Bird Observatory, whose pond and 1.5 acres of fruit trees attract migrating songbirds.

One more tidbit: The national bird of Israel is the hoopoe, dukhifat in Hebrew, which has been local to the region for thousands of years. Ancient legends suggest that the hoopoe served as a messenger and scout for King Solomon.

Now You Know…MORE ABOUT Birdwatching in Israel