Welcome! Explore Nature is back today with another story in our "Animals and Tales" series. Enjoy this reading for the little ones at home and stay home!.

The Princess's Gift

Mr. Blackbird, who was a great chatterbox, had gone out on orders from the river king, His Majesty Don Alcedo I, to announce some very important news. His daughter, Princess Atis, would marry whoever brought her the most precious and original gift.

All the birds knew the beauty of the princess, descendant of the most handsome kingfishers, who with her beautiful blue and orange colors, filled the riverbanks with life.

So, upon hearing the messenger's words, everyone in the area immediately began to consider what the perfect gift might be. The greenfinch, the magpie, the golden oriole, the goldfinch… not one of them wanted to miss the chance to marry the beautiful princess and one day become the king and queen of the river.

The princess knew that tradition dictated it, although she was not interested in someone who offered her a great gift, but rather in someone who loved and respected her.

A young kingfisher, named Pedro, arrived in the area from a nearby lagoon.

"Even if she doesn't choose me, I want to give her a gift so that she'll be the most beautiful bride on her wedding day. That's all I need.".

And with that, he went to visit the river clams.

"Please, little clams, can you give me twelve pearls to make a necklace for Princess Atis? In return, I will dive down and clean your shells, where you can't reach.".

The clams, pleased with the offer, told him they accepted. Since they had no hands, they couldn't reach to clean their shells.

Next, Pedro went to look for his friend Pico, the woodpecker.

"Hello Pico, I need you to make me the most beautiful box anyone could imagine. I'll put a pearl necklace in it that I'm going to give to Princess Atis.".

"Hmm," the woodpecker pondered. "I know how I'll do it. I'll make the box out of cedar wood, and you'll get me the decorations from the riverbed.".

"Great!" exclaimed Pedro.

"You must bring me six perfectly round, white stones. Each one will go on one side of the box. You will also bring me mother-of-pearl from clam shells. Some fragments can be found at the bottom of the river.".

Without wasting a single moment, Pedro dove into the water. He searched and, little by little, he got the job his friend the carpenter had done.

Pico, who knew his craft very well, assembled the box and decorated it with the stones and mother-of-pearl.

–They turned out beautifully, my friend Pico.

–Good luck, mate.

And very happy, he went to where the clams were so that they could give him the pearls that they had joined with seaweed thread to form the most precious of necklaces.

Happy, he flew whistling towards the river where the princess lived. He flew and flew and flew, until his strength began to fail, for the box was very heavy. So he decided to stop beside a willow tree, whose leaves swayed as the water flowed by. He drank a little, and a voice said to him:

"Hello Pedro, where are you carrying so much?" It was Corax, the raven, who, sunbathing on a large rock, had seen him arrive and couldn't contain his curiosity to know what he was carrying in that beautifully decorated box.

“I’m going to take a gift to Princess Atis,” Pedro replied, opening the box so Corax could admire the necklace. “I don’t think there will ever be a gift as valuable as this one.”.

The crow was impressed by such beauty and thought about how he could take the necklace so that he could be the one to give it to the princess and become the king of the river.

–Since you seem tired, if you'd like, you can sleep for a little while. I'll watch over your box until you wake up.

Peter, who was very kind and trusting, didn't realize what the raven was up to and happily agreed. When he closed his eyes, Corax opened the box and took out the necklace. He replaced it with twelve stones so Peter wouldn't notice.

After a while, our friend woke up, picked up the box, now full of stones, and thanking the crow, went home to dress in the appropriate feathers. The crow, with a half-smile, also prepared for the big event.

Princess Atis used to travel along the river disguised as a sparrow to learn about the problems of her subjects. On one of her walks, she met a crow and, seeing how elegant he looked, asked him where he was going.

"I am going to marry Princess Atis," the raven replied.

"You're very sure, aren't you?" the princess asked him.

"That's true," he replied. "I have the most beautiful gift one could give a princess, so she'll have to choose me. Then I'll be the king of the river.".

–From your words I see that you don't care about the princess at all –Atis asked.

–The truth is, no. I just want to be the king of the river someday and have everyone at my service.

–And, can you tell me what you're going to give her?

–I will give her this pearl necklace.

The princess was captivated when she saw them. It truly was the most beautiful gift she had ever seen. Hiding her joy so as not to be discovered, she asked, "How did you get such a precious necklace? It must have cost you a fortune.".

"No way!" boasted the crow, a grin spreading across his face. "I took it from Peter the kingfisher. The poor fellow, when he goes to see the princess and opens his box, he'll find it's full of stones. He'll make a fool of himself!"

The princess realized that the raven was not good and that he had been capable of stealing in order to one day become king of the river. She said goodbye and left to meet her suitors.

Many birds passed by displaying their gifts. Nightingales, warblers, reed warblers, wagtails… and our dear Pedro waited nervously. When it was the crow's turn, he showed his gift and everyone was amazed.

"It's clear that I'll be the one to marry the princess!" he exclaimed, laughing heartily.

–Well, there's still Pedro, the kingfisher, to show his gift. Who knows? Maybe it will be better than yours.

The crow thought that this was impossible, and gave a malevolent smile.

Pedro, who had realized the deception, opened his box with great sorrow, revealing the river stones. Then, Princess Atis applauded with joy.

–Oh! Father, this is the gift I liked the most.

Everyone stared at her in amazement.

"But daughter, they're just stones," King Alcedo replied.

"I'm talking about the box, Father. I've never seen anything so beautifully crafted. It's exquisite. I can keep my most precious things in it. Besides, crows are known for stealing shiny things. Who knows who it stole the necklace from?".

“You are right, my daughter,” said the King. “Peter will marry you, and Corax the raven will be banished from the rivers and streams. From now on, he will live in the wastelands, far from the good birds.”.

Pedro and Atis celebrated their wedding and lived happily ever after.

If you liked it, remember that Explora Natura has more for you from this edition dedicated to the little ones at home, in the coming days.

Antonio Pestana

Antonio Jesús Pestana Salido (Cabra, Córdoba, 1970) es ornitólogo y fotógrafo de naturaleza andaluz, especializado en aves y en la interpretación del paisaje mediterráneo. Desde niño ha estado vinculado al estudio y observación de la fauna, y lleva décadas recorriendo los espacios naturales de Andalucía, especialmente la Subbética cordobesa.

Es fotógrafo de naturaleza premiado a nivel nacional, ganador del primer premio del concurso de fotografía de naturaleza Carl Zeiss (IV edición) con una imagen de digiscoping de piquituerto común, además de otros reconocimientos en concursos especializados de fotografía de aves.

Como ornitólogo de campo ha participado en proyectos de seguimiento y conservación de aves, especialmente rapaces y aves esteparias, y ha sido coordinador provincial en Córdoba de los censos de aguilucho pálido y aguilucho cenizo. También es presidente de la asociación naturalista Abanto, dedicada a la divulgación y conservación del patrimonio natural.

Es autor de varios libros sobre fauna ibérica y cultura popular publicados por editoriales especializadas, entre ellos “Las aves ibéricas en la cultura popular” y “Las rapaces diurnas ibéricas en la cultura popular”, obras que recopilan refranes, creencias y tradiciones relacionadas con las aves en la cultura popular.

Además de su trabajo como autor y fotógrafo, desarrolla actividades de divulgación y educación ambiental, guiando salidas de naturaleza, impartiendo talleres de fotografía de aves y colaborando con centros educativos, asociaciones y proyectos de turismo de naturaleza.
She regularly works with schools, designing wildlife observation activities adapted for primary and secondary school students. She also collaborates with companies and associations on birdwatching tours, teaches nature photography courses, and participates in the design of natural areas.