This was the topic I knew I would have the toughest time with. I researched every possible combination of "birds" and "coptic" that you could possibly imagine. I checked google, I searched through databases, and I barely came up with anything. After all, the Copts are, for the most part, a religion. Sure, they're a culture, too, but they're identified by their beliefs, which made this a bit harder for me.
I stumbled upon a journal on the University of Chicago website that helped me to get started. It was entitled "Birds in the Ancient Egyptian and Coptic Alphabets". I found it fascinating, because it had pictures that the Ancient Egyptians had once used to represent the various birds that were found in their area. There was a chart with these images, as well as the letter name in the Ancient Egyptian alphabet, and, most importantly, a translation to what bird was being indicated.
According to this journal, birds that were commonly found were herons, doves, the Nile goose, hens, black ibis, vultures, swans, quail, and sparrows, amongst others that could not be identified. However, I didn't feel this was specific enough, so my quest continued. Finally, I decided to give up on using the "Coptic" keyword, as it wasn't really getting me anywhere, and instead, I searched "Birds in Alexandria, Egypt", since that was where the Coptic Church originated.
This search proved to be a bit more successful. I came across Kittlitz's Sandplover, which inhabits the desert road that connects the city of Alexandria with Cairo. More specifically, the valley of Wadi Natrun, which, coincidentally, is home to some of the most well-known Christian monasteries. Here are some images of this bird:
You may also come across the Blue-cheeked Bee-easters in this area:
And possibly even the Rufous Bushchat:
