The Head of Thoth

A hunter has killed one of the Middle East's most endangered -- and symbolic -- birds

The Northern Bald Ibis (Geronticus eremita) has a long history in human culture.

Represented in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, today, it is depicted on the stamps of Algeria, Morocco, Sudan, Syria, Turkey and Yemen.

According to local legend in the Birecik district along the Euphrates River in Turkey, it was one of the first birds released from Noah's Ark as a symbol of fertility.

Along with the Sacred Ibis, the Northern Bald Ibis was believed to be the reincarnation of Thoth, the scribe of Egypt's gods, who had the body of a man and the head of an ibis.

Once, it roamed across south and central Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.

But now, this symbol of fertility is the Middle East's most critically endangered bird.

And one of them has just been illegally killed by a hunter in Saudi Arabia. Now, there are just four individuals left in the Middle East.

BirdLife International, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) have been working together on an ibis satellite-tracking project in an effort to find out more about their movements and ultimately help bring their populations back. Scientists believe that young birds are being lost somewhere along their migration route. The location where young birds go during the winter has been a mystery.

"The shooting of a young bird from such a tiny population is devastating news," said Ali Hamoud, of the Syrian Desert Commission, according to a recent BirdLife press release. "And it shows that hunting is a major threat to this species."

"Recovery of the population from this frighteningly low level is going to be exceedingly difficult," said Dr. Jeremy Lindsell, the RSPB scientist in charge of the ibis satellite-tracking project. "But everyone involved in the project believes we must do everything we can to provide hope for this culturally-important icon of the Middle East."

Noah and Thoth would likely have agreed.

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• Check out these 15 ways to attract birds -- and birdsongs -- into your backyard
  
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• The Beautiful Lady Without Pity (March 22, 2009

image: Richard Bartz