Problems concerning the need for food and water by the flocks and herd of the Israelites are discussed, and also the need for fuel for cooking. This paper argues that the identification of the “banned birds” of Leviticus 11:13–19 points to a very different climate and environment than has been the case for the past three millennia in the territory of the “wanderings of the Israelites.” This paper builds on research using onomatopoeic (OP) correlations by Johnson and Jenson (2023) which resulted in the species-level identification of seventeen of the “banned birds.”
Ornithology, archaeology, and paleoclimatology all point to the Sinai Peninsula and neighbouring regions having a much higher rainfall, which would have created the conditions where grazing and water for livestock would be available, as well as firewood. The range of habitats then available provides a precise match for the requirements of that group of birds. This has a bearing on the possible routes for the “Red Sea” crossing, as well as the date of writing Leviticus and the other Torah passages dealing with the “wanderings.”
The conclusion is drawn that this specific list of birds points to the “wilderness tradition” of the Israelites being set in a landscape that would have been found in the Sinai region prior to a time around 1250 BC. Finally, consideration is given to the “-min” attributions found in the “banned birds” list, with its implications for Hebrew bird taxonomy.