Birds and conservation in Egypt, past, 
present and future 
Mindy Baha El Din 
Ancient history 
The Ancient Egyptians were among the first natural historians in the 
world, and until modem times, were the only Egyptians to have any 
major involvement in ornithology. 
The Ancient Egyptians vividly 
depicted the rich bird life of their 
country on the walls of tombs and 
temples, many of which survive 
today. These people were also the 
first to enact laws to protect birds; 
it was illegal to kill sacred species, 
such as the Sacred Ibis Threskiornis 
aethiopicus and falcons. To do so 
was punishable by death. 
However, sacred birds were killed 
in ritual sacrifices, and tombs 
containing millions of mummified 
Sacred Ibises and falcons have been 
found. The Ancient Egyptians may 
have been among the first people to breed wild birds, such as Sacred 
Ibises, in captivity. They also conducted expeditions to other countries to 
collect species. 
From the conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great until the 1950s, Egypt 
was under foreign domination. Through these centuries, there were 
periodic ornithological studies. Under Islamic rule, there were several 
Arab scholars who travelled around the country and wrote about the 
birds they saw. But it was the French who mounted the first modem 
scientific expedition. When Napoleon conquered Egypt in 1798, he 
commissioned a team of scientists to record the flora and fauna. This was 
published in the monumental work The Distribution of Egypt. 
Early 20th centtiry ornithology 
When Egypt was under British occupation, ornithology started in earnest. 
Briton Michael Nicoll, director of the Giza Zoological Garden, travelled 
the country observing birds and collecting specimens. Unfortunately, he 
died before he could publish a book on his findings. Nicoll's wife then 
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