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A stylised bird of prey perched on a plinth with a chevron band.
Also known as: Great Zimbabwe bird, Hungwe, Soapstone bird, Bird on a plinth
The Zimbabwe Bird is carved from soapstone and comes from Great Zimbabwe, a stone city built between the eleventh and fifteenth centuries. Eight were found; what they originally represented is not known, and the emblem's modern meaning is the nation rather than any recovered ancient one.
Denotes Zimbabwe as its national emblem, appearing on the flag, coat of arms and currency, taken from soapstone carvings found at Great Zimbabwe.
Contexts: Public information
Comes from a site built by ancestors of the Shona between roughly the eleventh and fifteenth centuries, contradicting colonial-era claims of foreign construction that archaeology has refuted.
Contexts: Public information
Has no established original meaning: the birds' purpose at Great Zimbabwe is not known, and modern interpretations are conjecture.
Contexts: Public information
An upright bird with a long neck, folded wings and a hooked beak, perched on a tall narrow column bearing a band of chevrons.