Safari Park Birds and Animals

A glossy ibis: native to this area, probably a visitor to the park not captive.

Today we visited the Safari Park in Ramat Gan, Israel, near where we are staying. According to its website it "has the largest animal collection in the Middle East and is unique in the world because of the large herds of mixed species of African animals that roam the spacious African Park. The African Park and the zoo are home to 1,600 animals of different species... ." Besides the captive animals many wild local birds find a home in the inviting spaces of the park.

Crowned Cranes, a captive bird, and Egyptian geese, which are local.

Hippos -- happy ones, I presume.

Local hooded crows peck on the side of the hippos and drink their blood.

Stone Curlew, a local bird.

Spur-Winged Lapwing, another local  with chicks
-- it obviously breeds here.

A griffon vulture. This unusual bird breeds in northern Israel,
but the individual here is unable to fly and thus is kept at the park.

One of these ostriches tried to stick its head in the car window, which I
should have kept closed. They were native to Israel long ago, but
are captives in the Safari Park.

This Israeli Great White Pelican chooses to live in the park too. For more bird photos, click on the image and you'll see Len's bird photos on Flickr.