Having spent most of my summer in the Oro Valley Hospital, missing my article publishing deadline for the past two months, I find myself at home again enjoying the never-ending monsoons and my birds. While I was gone, a plucky Costa’s Hummingbird female built a nest in the colorful Mexican mobile that hangs just outside a window onto our backyard patio. This is the same mobile where a persevering Broad-billed Hummingbird had built four separate nests over the prior three years, all four of which had then been totally dismantled and taken to never-found nesting sites elsewhere on our property. While I vacationed at the hospital, my wife, Prudy, kept me updated on the Costa’s progress, as she laid and incubated two tic-tac sized eggs, then fed the two babies until they successfully fledged and fled the tiny nest.
After missing this momentous event, my mind wandered aimlessly around the world of birds, looking unsuccessfully for a fresh birding story, complicated in any event, but after having published 14 years of monthly articles, now near impossibly challenging. Fortunately, my muse came through as usual, suggesting I focus on Arizona’s capital city and its association with Greek birding mythology. Bingo. Saved once again!
If you are like me, you might need a short course on Greek mythology, and maybe another tracing Phoenix’s history. Otherwise, feel free to skip the next few sections. According to Wikipedia, “The phoenix is an immortal bird that lives, dies and is reborn time after time”. While this story is part of Greek mythology, it is also found in many other cultures, including Egyptian and Persian. Some scholars attribute the story’s origin to Ancient Egypt, but others feel those texts may have originated from classical folklore. In other words, there appears to be no consensus, other than it’s a popular tale widely found throughout many cultures. Associated with the sun god, the phoenix symbolizes immortality, resurrection and life after death. According to ancient Greeks, the phoenix lived near a cool well in Arabia, where the sun god at dawn would stop his chariot to listen to the phoenix sing while it bathed in the well. When the bird felt its death was near, after either 500 or 1,461 years (I did not make this up), the bird would build a nest of aromatic wood and set it on fire. The flames consumed the bird, and a new phoenix would then rise from the ashes to live another 500 or 1,461 years. In classic literature, the phoenix was often represented as a peacock or an eagle, and in Egypt as a heron. Other colorful birds have also represented the phoenix, including those with flame-colored plumage, even ostriches and flamingos.
The city of Phoenix was given its name in 1868 because it had sprung from the ruins of a Hohokam civilization that had vanished into history, and the phoenix bird became the official city logo. Over one hundred years, the city had more than 30 birds connected to it and different departments designed their own bird logos, which were displayed on municipal signs, vehicles and uniforms. In 1986, Phoenix decided to establish a single bird symbol and the Great Phoenix Bird Design Competition was launched in March 1987. The contest stated that the symbol had to include the legendary phoenix bird and the words ‘city of Phoenix.’ There were 277 entries, mostly from the Valley, but some from as far away as Surrey, England. Ballots were then distributed throughout the city, and more than 20,000 ballots ranked the four finalists. Four years after the process began, Phoenix finally had a single new logo, and it was based on an ancient mythological bird, the immortal phoenix. Considering the advanced state of medical care in Phoenix, such as the presence of just one of three U.S. Mayo Clinics, perhaps this legendary tale of resurrection has some personal meaning.
