What is Portugal's National bird?
National symbols of Portugal
The Galo de Barcelos (Rooster of Barcelos)
The Quercus suber, commonly called the cork oak, is a medium-sized, evergreen oak tree in the section Quercus sect. Cerris. Traditionally, it is the primary source of cork for wine bottle stoppers, as well as for other uses, such as cork flooring. Cork is now used in a number of untraditional applications like shoes, cloths, fashion accessories, construction, sports equipment and even in space ships components. The quercus suber holds great importance in the economy of Portugal, especially the southern regions, the country being the largest producer of cork. In December 2011, after a petition signed by thousands of persons, the Quercus suber was declared national tree by the Portuguese Parliament.[8]
The Galo de Barcelos (Rooster of Barcelos) is one of the most common emblems of Portugal. These pieces of craftsmanship, made in painted clay in the city of Barcelos celebrate an old legend that tells the story of a dead rooster's miraculous intervention in proving the innocence of a man who had been falsely accused and sentenced to death.[9]
The wyvern was used as the crest of the Royal Arms of Portugal since the 15th century. Later, two dragons were also used as supports of the Arms of Portugal. Until the 17th century, the dragon was represented in gold, but from then on it became usually represented in green, probably because green was the national color of the Kingdom during the early reigning of the House of Braganza. Presently, among the common Portuguese, the dragon is usually associated as the mascot of the FC Porto football club, due to the fact that the emblem of this club includes the old coat of arms of the city of Oporto, which had the Royal dragon as a crest, granted to it as an augmentation of honor in 1837.