UPDATE:Turkey suspects bird of being Israeli spy

Bee's Note: 

Let's see .... the Muslim communities in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and now Turkey  continue to blame Israel for the very existence of wild life, just as Arab Muslims/PLO/PA's rioted in Israeli streets yesterday, to celebrate Nakbar Day - the day they mourn the very existence of the Jewish state of Israel.  Perhaps their superstitions have something to do with their Islamic teachings straight out of the 7th Century, but one thing's for sure, these Muslims know how to bring humor to all of us "non-Muslims". So paranoid, they "see" Mossad agents in sharks, off the coast of Egypt; Mossad squirrels and pigeons in Iran; and Mossad vultures in Saudi Arabia.  To follow that line of thinking (if that can be considered "thinking"), I think the Mossad agents soar like Eagles and the other day, an eagle flew over our heads as we were driving through the mountain area of NH - I'm sure it was a Mossad spy!   

"The secret center for shark assassin training"

One of many Mossad vultures (in training!)

Mossad squirrels preparing to attack Iran

Here's a very dangerous Mossad shark-squirrel!

Ankara investigating possibility that bee-eater was 'implanted with Mossad surveillance device'; Israeli wildlife officials say accusation ridiculous

Published: 05.15.12, 13:03 / Israel News

Amir Ben-David

Turkish authorities believe that they have found a bird used for espionage purposes by Israel, the country's media reported.

According to a Tuesday report in Yedioth Ahronoth, an investigation to that effect was launched in Ankara several days ago, after a farmer discovered a dead Merops Apiaster, commonly known as the European Bee-Eater, in his field. The bird had a ring reading "Israel" on one of its legs.

Related stories:

• Iran exposes pigeon espionage ring
• 'Mossad may be behind Red Sea shark attacks'
• Iranians arrest 14 squirrels for spying

Bird-banding is a common practice in ornithology, meant to help scientists track bird migration routes.

The band, however, was not the most damning piece of evidence against the bee-eater: Its nostrils were.

The bird-beak in question reportedly sported "unusually large nostrils," which – combined with the identification ring – raised suspicions that the bird was "implanted with a surveillance device" and that it arrived in Turkey as part of an espionage mission.

The bird's remains were originally handed over to the Turkish Agriculture Ministry, which then turned them over to Ankara's security services.

The suspect (screenshot)

News of the "spy bird" spread quickly within Turkey's ornithological community, and Israeli ornithologists soon got word of it as well.

The Society for Protection of Nature in Israel was alerted and was able to confirm that the bird was banded about four years ago, as a matter of routine,

Yoav Pearlman, of the Israeli Birdwatching Center, explained that Israel's north is home to a large bee-eater population, and that many more use Israel as a stop in their migration route, which includes Turkey, southern Europe and Russia.

"The Turkish authorities can rest easy – it's not a spy," Pearlman said.

Israeli wildlife officials said that this was not the first time that Israeli birds landing in Arab countries as part of their migration were "detained" for alleged espionage. Such birds, they added, usually disappear.

In January of 2011, Saudi Arabia announced that it "detained" a vulture carrying an Israeli band. The griffon vulture was carrying a GPS transmitter bearing the name of Tel Aviv University and was condemned for being a part of a "Zionist espionage plot." Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter  Receive Ynetnews updates directly to your desktop  UPDATE:  Received today from one of my Facebook friends: After the Turks discovered the Israeli Spy bird. We discovered that the Mossad developed Spy flees already. Here a Top Secret image