Nasrudin took a sparrow to the King as a present. Feeling in a generous mood, the monarch gave him a gold piece in
return. The treasurer was worried by such extravagance: “Majesty, if you continue to behave in such a generous manner, the coffers will soon be empty!”

The King agreed, but could not think of a way of asking Nasrudin to return the money without looking mean.

“Leave it to me, Majesty,” said the treasurer. “I will ask Nasrudin if the bird is male or female. If he says it is male, you can say you wanted a female bird, and if it is female, you can say you wanted a male.”

Nasrudin was called back to Court. “Mulla,” asked the treasurer, “is the bird you gave the King male or female?” Guessing the question to be a trick, Nasrudin instantly replied: “It is a bisexual bird.”