Why Birds?

When I first started this blog back in 2006, it was called "Birds of the Air". (Thus the address -- birdsoftheair.blogspot.com.) Since I would certainly not be able to make an entire blog about birds, I shifted the name to "Winging It", which, if you're paying attention, still connects to the birds. A friend recently asked me, "Why birds?"

I really like birds. To me, these are the epitome of God's "gotcha!" to the Evolutionist. They are a large, obvious example of irreducible complexity. That's a fancy word that says that you can't make sense of them using the concept of evolution. You see, evolution calls for gradual changes, little shifts here and there that, through natural selection, fine tune various parts so that the "fittest" make it through while those who are not don't make it. But irreducible complexity argues that some things just won't work that way. In the human being, an obvious example is the entire cardiopulmonary system. Without blood, there's no need to have a venous system to carry it. Without a venous system, there's no need to have a heart to pump blood. Without a cardio system, there's no need for lungs. And on it goes. Remove one piece (like in "gradual change") and you've got nothing at all.

Well, birds are like that. They hold too much mystery, too much wonder, too many changes to be gradual. There is nothing in between. They have so many unique structures. They have beaks for eating (and it seems like each has a beak uniquely suited for its needs). They have hollow bones so they're light enough to fly. They have feathers which are remarkable structures in themselves. And, of course, birds fly.

Consider some of the facts about birds. The fastest animal on the planet is a bird. The Peregrine Falcon doesn't fall on its prey; it dives. In a power dive, the falcon can reach speeds in excess of 200 mph! Or look at the Osprey. The Osprey is a fishing bird. It will fall on its meal and then haul it out of the water. When it does, it holds the fish in its claws one in front of the other to make the fish aerodynamic.

No one teaches birds to fly. They don't spend hours in flight school getting trained and certified. They just ... fly. And what flight! Our best aircraft can't approach their maneuverability or precision.

In Australia there is a bird that, when ready to create offspring, will go into the forest and dig a hole in the ground. She will then lay her egg in the hole and cover it with leaves. After that, she's gone for good. The compost that is produced by the leaf barrier provides the necessary heat for the egg to hatch. Once hatched, the baby will eat its way through the compost until it is free and then is off to live its life. Females, at some point, without training or instructions, will repeat the process.

Or how about Cardinals? These birds mate for life. They develop their own language between the mated pairs. They will make several nests in a season and populate each. As the mother is sitting on one nest, the father will go make another nest. As the eggs hatch, she will move on to the next to lay more eggs and so on.

Lots of people dislike vultures, but they're a necessary bird. Vultures can fly incredibly high. (A Ruppell's Griffon was recorded at 7 miles in the air.) Yet they have the eyesight to tell if their prospective meal is dead. They are born gliders, catching currents and thermals to simply float around in the sky. In fact, they rarely take wing on still days. Their heads are designed (a word that's hard to avoid when you speak of birds as it is with the rest of nature) for sticking into dead carcasses.



Throw in all the variations. There are high fliers and skimmers, water birds and runners, tiny hummingbirds and huge ostriches, carnivores, herbivores, and omnivores. There are birds that are suited to night hunting and birds that are only out in the daytime. There are scavengers and ground feeders. Some travel phenomenal distances to lay their eggs under seemingly impossible conditions. Some actually fly over the Himalayas. They have special blood cells that absorb the oxygen better because of its scarcity on high altitude. Some fly from Alaska to Hawaii, thousands of miles over water without any place to rest. There are some powerful enough to lift small antelope. Each type of bird is specially designed, carefully equipped for their own particular function and lifestyle.

I like birds. They are graceful. They carry that wonderful mystery of flight. They are unique. They are varied. They are intricate. They are beautiful. And they scream the glory of God. Why birds? That ought to be good enough.