The Bittern and the Hoopoe

Once upon a time, long ago when the world was younger and the boundaries between the natural and supernatural worlds were not as firmly drawn as they are today, there lived two birds who were the very best of friends. One was a bittern, a wading bird with beautiful brown and cream plumage that allowed her to blend perfectly with the reedy marshlands where she lived. The other was a hoopoe, an elegant bird with a striking crest of feathers on her head and distinctive black and white striped wings.

The bittern and the hoopoe had grown up together in the same wetland area, where tall reeds grew thick along the edges of a clear, flowing river. They had learned to fly together, had weathered their first winter side by side, and had shared countless adventures exploring the waterways and surrounding meadows of their homeland.

Despite their friendship, the two birds had very different personalities that were beginning to show more clearly as they matured. The bittern was a cautious, thoughtful bird who appreciated the simple pleasures of life. She loved the peaceful solitude of the marshes, the gentle sound of wind moving through the reeds, and the satisfaction of finding a good fishing spot where she could stand motionless for hours, waiting for the perfect moment to catch her prey.

The hoopoe, on the other hand, was more restless and ambitious. While she appreciated the beauty of their marshy home, she often found herself dreaming of a more exciting life filled with adventure, luxury, and constant stimulation. She would spend hours preening her beautiful crest and admiring her reflection in the still water, wondering if there might be something better waiting for her beyond the familiar boundaries of their wetland home.

One day, as autumn was turning toward winter, a mysterious figure appeared to the two friends. It was an ancient wizard, whose long beard was as white as fresh snow and whose eyes twinkled with otherworldly wisdom. He had been traveling through the wetlands when he noticed the two birds and was struck by their evident friendship and loyalty to each other.

“Greetings, young ones,” said the wizard in a voice like rustling leaves. “I have been watching you, and I am impressed by the bond you share. As a reward for your friendship, I would like to offer each of you a gift—a choice that will determine how you will live for the rest of your lives.”

The bittern and hoopoe looked at each other with surprise and curiosity. They had heard stories of magical beings who sometimes offered gifts to creatures who had shown virtue, but they had never expected to encounter such a being themselves.

“What kind of choice?” asked the hoopoe eagerly, her crest feathers rising with excitement.

The wizard smiled. “I will offer each of you two different paths for your future. You may choose the life that appeals to you most, but know that once you have chosen, your decision will be permanent and will affect not only you but all birds of your species for generations to come.”

The bittern felt a flutter of nervousness in her breast. Permanent decisions made her cautious, but she was curious to hear what options the wizard would present.

“The first choice,” continued the wizard, “is a life of simple contentment. If you choose this path, you will always have enough food to eat, a safe place to nest, and the peace that comes from being satisfied with what you have. You will live quietly and happily in the places where you feel most at home, surrounded by the natural beauty that you already know and love. Your needs will always be met, though you will never have more than you need.”

“And the second choice?” asked the hoopoe, who was already thinking that the first option sounded rather dull.

“The second choice,” said the wizard, his eyes glinting mysteriously, “is a life of searching for something greater. If you choose this path, you will never be satisfied with what you have. You will always believe that something better is waiting just around the corner, just over the next hill, or just in the next season. You will spend your life seeking treasures, adventures, and experiences that always seem to slip away just when you think you’ve found them.”

The bittern frowned thoughtfully. “That second choice doesn’t sound very appealing,” she said. “Why would anyone want a life where they’re never satisfied?”

The wizard’s smile became a bit sad. “Ah, but with that constant searching comes the possibility of finding truly extraordinary things. Those who choose this path might discover hidden treasures, experience incredible adventures, and see wonders that the contented never encounter. Of course, they might also spend their entire lives searching and never find what they’re looking for.”

The hoopoe’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Hidden treasures? Incredible adventures? That sounds wonderful!”

But the bittern was more skeptical. “It also sounds like it could be exhausting and frustrating. What good are treasures and adventures if you’re never able to enjoy them because you’re always looking for something even better?”

The wizard nodded approvingly at the bittern’s wisdom. “That is indeed the question each of you must answer for yourself. Which kind of life do you think would make you happier—one where you’re always content with what you have, or one where you’re always seeking something more?”

The two friends looked at each other, both deep in thought. This was clearly a decision that each would have to make individually, based on her own nature and desires.

The hoopoe was the first to speak. “I know this might sound foolish,” she said, “but I choose the second path. I can’t bear the thought of spending my whole life in the same marshes, doing the same things day after day. I want to see what’s out there beyond our little wetland. I want to discover treasures and have adventures, even if it means I might sometimes be disappointed.”

The wizard nodded seriously. “And you, bittern? What is your choice?”

The bittern had been watching her friend with a mixture of sadness and understanding. She could see the restless energy in the hoopoe’s bright eyes and knew that her friend would never be truly happy with a quiet, simple life.

“I choose the first path,” said the bittern calmly. “I’ve always been happy here in our marshes. I love the peace and quiet, I enjoy my simple routines, and I can’t imagine wanting anything more than what I already have. A life of contentment sounds perfect to me.”

The wizard looked at both birds with a mixture of fondness and sorrow. “So be it,” he said. “Your choices are made, and the magic begins now.”

As he spoke these words, both birds began to feel strange changes coming over them. The changes were not painful, but they were profound and permanent.

The bittern felt a deep sense of calm settling into her very being. She realized that she would indeed always be content with her life in the marshes, but she also sensed that she was becoming more solitary than she had been before. She would still be capable of companionship, but she would prefer to spend most of her time alone, standing quietly among the reeds.

Moreover, she discovered that her voice had changed. When she tried to speak, what came out was not her normal bird call, but a deep, booming sound that echoed across the water: “BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!” It was a strange sound, but somehow it felt right to her, expressing her contentment with her solitary life in the peaceful marshes.

The hoopoe, meanwhile, felt a restless energy filling every fiber of her being. She knew that she would now spend her life searching for something—though what that something was remained mysteriously unclear. She felt compelled to fly from place to place, always looking, always seeking, never quite finding what she was looking for.

Her voice had changed as well. When she opened her beak to call, out came a sound like “Hoop-hoop-hoop!"—a cry that seemed to express both longing and endless searching.

The wizard watched these transformations with satisfaction. “It is done,” he said. “Bittern, you and all your descendants will live contentedly in the marshes, calling out your deep ‘BOOM!’ to announce your satisfaction with the simple life. Hoopoe, you and all your descendants will wander the world, always searching, always hoping, calling out ‘Hoop-hoop-hoop!’ as you look for the treasures that may or may not exist.”

“But,” asked the hoopoe with sudden concern, “will we still be friends? Will I ever see Bittern again?”

The wizard’s expression grew kind but serious. “You have chosen very different paths, my dear. The bittern will be content to stay in her beloved marshes, while you will be compelled to roam far and wide. Your friendship will live on in your memories, but your lives will now follow separate courses.”

And so it was. The bittern settled into her life among the reeds with complete satisfaction. She spent her days standing motionless in the shallow water, fishing with the patience of someone who knew that everything she needed would come to her in due time. When she felt moved to express her contentment, she would call out her deep “BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!” that echoed across the marshes like a declaration of perfect peace.

The hoopoe, true to her nature and her choice, began to wander. She flew from forest to meadow, from mountain to seashore, always searching for something she couldn’t quite name. Sometimes she thought she had found it—a particularly beautiful grove of trees, a hidden valley filled with flowers, a stream that sparkled like diamonds in the sunlight. But no matter how lovely these places were, she always felt compelled to move on, to keep searching for something even more wonderful.

As she traveled, she would call out “Hoop-hoop-hoop!” expressing both her longing and her hope that the next place she visited would finally satisfy her restless spirit.

Years passed, and both birds lived according to their chosen natures. The bittern remained in her marshes, growing wise and peaceful as she aged, perfectly content with her quiet life and simple pleasures. She never regretted her choice, for contentment had become so deeply a part of her that she couldn’t imagine wanting anything more than what she had.

The hoopoe continued her wandering, seeing many beautiful and wondrous places. She experienced adventures that the stay-at-home bittern could never have imagined, and she encountered marvels that filled her with awe and excitement. But true to the wizard’s prediction, she never found the ultimate treasure she was seeking. There was always something more just beyond the horizon, always another place to explore, always another possibility to investigate.

Sometimes, in her travels, the hoopoe would pass near the marshes where she had grown up. She would hear the bittern’s deep “BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!” echoing across the water and would remember their friendship with both fondness and a touch of sadness. She would consider stopping to visit her old friend, but the restless energy of her chosen nature would always drive her onward before she could follow through on the impulse.

The bittern, for her part, would sometimes hear the hoopoe’s distant “Hoop-hoop-hoop!” when the wind was just right, and she would remember their adventures together with warmth and affection. But she was too content with her present life to feel any desire to leave her peaceful marshes, even for a reunion with her old friend.

As the seasons turned and the years passed, both birds came to understand the full implications of their choices. The bittern realized that her contentment was complete and unshakeable, but it came at the cost of the excitement and variety that the hoopoe experienced. The hoopoe understood that her life was full of wonder and adventure, but it came at the cost of the peace and satisfaction that the bittern enjoyed.

Neither bird regretted her choice, for each had chosen according to her true nature. But both sometimes wondered what their lives might have been like if they had chosen differently, and both treasured the memories of their friendship before the wizard’s visit had set them on their separate paths.

The wizard’s magic affected not just these two individual birds, but all bitterns and hoopoes that came after them. To this day, bitterns live solitary lives in marshes and wetlands, standing motionless among the reeds and calling out their deep, booming calls that seem to express perfect contentment with their quiet existence.

Hoopoes, meanwhile, continue to wander, migrating vast distances and always seeming to be in search of something. Their distinctive “hoop-hoop-hoop!” call can be heard across many different landscapes as they pursue their eternal quest for the perfect treasure that always seems to lie just beyond their reach.

And so the story of the bittern and the hoopoe serves as a reminder that we all must choose how we want to live our lives. Some of us are naturally inclined toward contentment and simplicity, finding joy in familiar places and simple pleasures. Others are drawn to adventure and seeking, willing to sacrifice peace for the possibility of discovering something extraordinary.

Neither choice is right or wrong—they are simply different paths that suit different natures. The important thing is to choose consciously and to live according to our choice with integrity and purpose, whether we find ourselves calling “BOOM!” from the marshes of contentment or “Hoop-hoop-hoop!” from the paths of eternal seeking.

Moral: Our choices in life reflect our deepest nature, and once made, they shape not only our own destiny but often the destiny of those who come after us. Some find happiness in contentment and simplicity, while others find meaning in constant seeking and adventure. Both paths have their rewards and their costs, and wisdom lies in choosing the path that truly suits our nature rather than the one that merely looks attractive from a distance.