Tag Archives: Home School

50 Bird Species Sounds

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Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) by Daves BirdingPix

Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) by Daves BirdingPix

Thought you might enjoy learning about the sounds of 50 birds. This is from an email link I received. It looks like, but you will have to click the link to actually hear the sounds. Enjoy!! [Make sure you turn your sound up.]

Click any bird to hear the sounds they make! Click a second time to pause the sound.

50 Bird Species and The Sounds They Make

American Goldfinch American Robin Asian Koel Atlantic Puffin Bald Eagle Barn Owl Barn Swallow Black-Capped Chickadee Blue Jay Canada Goose Canary (Common) Cardinal Common Wood Pigeon Crow (American) Cuckoo Eurasian Wren European Robin Flamingo (American) Horned Lark Horned Owl House Sparrow Hyacinth Macaw Indigo Bunting Laughing Kookaburra Loon (Common) Magellanic Penguin Mallard Duck Mourning Dove Nightingale (Common) Northern Flicker Northern Mockingbird Osprey Parakeet (Budgerigar) Peafowl (Common) Pileated Woodpecker Purple Martin Raven (Common) Red-Winged Blackbird Rock Dove Rooster Snipe (Common) Song Thrush Starling (Common) Swift (Common) Tern (Common) Tufted Titmouse Turkey (Wild) Veery Whooper Swan Wood Thrush

Click any bird to hear the sounds they make! Click a second time to pause the sound.Use our quick, clickable guide for identifying backyard birds by the sounds they make! Chose any of these popular species to hear its typical bird sounds, from vocalizations of parrots to the chirping of songbirds. As you?re gardening in your backyard or wandering in the woods, you might be able to use our guide to identify a few distinctive bird calls. Identification of songbird sounds has a rich history; in the past, it was fairly complicated and frequently required mnemonics. For instance, the blue jay is recognized for singing ?queedle, queedle, queedle,? and the mourning dove sound can be written as ?hooo-ah hoo-hoo-hoo.? The northern flicker sounds like ?squeechu-squeechu-squeechu,? which might be easy to confuse with ?queedle? unless you?ve heard it in the wild yourself! It?s also helpful to consider where you are when you?re trying to identify birds; check out the maps to see if a particular bird is actually found in your area.

“Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.” (Matthew 13:31-32 NKJV)

Wordless Birds

 

Things To Do While Staying Home

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Swallow-tailed Kite

Like many of you, we are staying home during this time of protecting ourselves from the Corvid-19 threat. So, what are we to do?

Here are a few suggestions to keep you learning, especially about our wonderful Avian Wonders, birds, that the Lord created. There are many things about the birds that we can be entertained by and educated from websites on the internet.

“And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” (Genesis 1:22 NKJV)

Of course, you can check out our sites:

Here are few other places to check out:

Pete Thayer is offering free birdwatching software for students. Hurry, as there is a limited number available. It is great. I use it myself. [This is from my email.]
March 2020
Birding Software For Kids 
The coronavirus (COVID-19) has forced thousands of schools across the country to close for weeks. What are your kids or grand-kids going to do with themselves?
We have an interesting suggestion. Let them explore over 1,000 birds of North America. Take over 700 fun quizzes about birds. Listen to bird songs in their area. Watch videos of bird behavior. Learn more about their favorite birds.

Thayer Birding Software has started a “Young Birder” Program. Our goal is to give away one million copies of our software to kids 18 and younger. This seems like the perfect week to help spread the word about this no-cost program.

We want kids to discover birding and the joys of nature at an early age. You can help by letting others know about this program. Forward this newsletter to your neighbors, relatives, local teachers, school administrators, Audubon clubs, Scout leaders and even kids in your neighborhood.

(Maybe this offer will even go “viral”)
It is very easy to download a copy

Then click the “Windows download” button

Now click the “Add Promo button”

type in ThayerYoungBirder

Visit our web site to find out more.
Our software will also work on older Mac operating systems such as Mac OS X 10.9 – MacOS 10.13. This includes High Sierra, Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite and Mavericks. If you have Mojave or Catalina click HERE for important information.
If you liked this free newsletter be sure to forward a copy to your friends so they can enjoy it too.
Pete Thayer and the Thayer Birding Software Newsletter Team9048 Whimbrel Watch Lane, Unit 202, Naples Florida 34109
E-mail us
]

Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) by Dan (closeup)

The Avian Conservation Center is South Carolina has this:

To facilitate continued access to our educational programming during this time of social distancing and e-learning, we are implementing a temporary learning program, which will allow students to connect to our educational content remotely. In addition to live streaming presentations on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/scbirdsofprey,) we will also be adding educational videos to our YouTube (http://bit.ly/33rV0up) channel and other educational content will be posted on our website (www.thecenterforbirdsofprey.org.) Although we are sad not to be able to see you in person, we are excited to have our community join us online!

Stay Tuned for more ideas!

Wordless Woodpecker

Birds and Jesus – When Baptised

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“Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:13-17 KJV)

White Dove – Transparent Background PD

Matt. 3:16 Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit came upon Jesus not to overcome sin (for he was sinless), but to equip him (see note on Jdg 3:10) for his work as the divine-human Messiah. (Case for Christ Study Bible)

Matt. 3:16 the Spirit of God descending: This was God’s official recognition of Jesus as the Messiah. (NKJV Study Bible)

Here are the other three passages from the Gospel writers:

“And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:9-11 KJV)

Dove PD By Malone

“Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:21-22 KJV)

White Dove – Transparent Background PD

“And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.” (John 1:32-34 KJV)

Dove Landing PD

John 1:34 I saw. John gives his final, definitive answer to the Pharisees who were challenging his right to baptize in water. God Himself had sent him to do so (John 1:33), so that when Jesus also would come for baptism (Luke 3:21-22) to “fulfil all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15), God could identify Him by sending the Holy Spirit upon Him in the form of a dove (John 1:32-33), in order that “He should be made manifest to Israel” (John 1:31). (New Defender’s Study Bible Notes)

I trust you are enjoying and learning from these post of Birds and Jesus Stay Tuned for More.

Salvation Story

See:

On Other Blog:

Raven That Shakes His Tail

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Thought you might enjoy this Raven. Not your typical Avian Wonder.

“Who provides food for the raven, When its young ones cry to God, And wander about for lack of food?” (Job 38:41 NKJV)

Most ravens have to search for their food, that the Lord provides. This Raven seems to have figured out how to charm this young man into providing food for him. There is a lot of trust shown here by both. The Lord has provided to feed the raven through this human.

 

Birds and Jesus – Infant Visit To Temple

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Oriental Turtle Dove (Streptopelia orientalis) by Nikhil Devasar

Oriental Turtle Dove (Streptopelia orientalis) by Nikhil Devasar

The first time, listed in the Gospels, when Jesus, in His Humanity, is near a bird, was at His dedication. According to the Jewish law, the first born son was to be dedicated at the temple. This was to take place 40 days after he was born. This was so that Mary, his earthly mother, to be purified and Jesus could be dedicated. This was not His first visit, as at eight days old he was there.

When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord“), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.” (Luke 2:22-24 NIV)

Bible Gateway’s – MacArthur Study Bible (NKJV) note:

“2:22 her purification. A woman who bore a son was ceremonially unclean for 40 days (twice that if she bore a daughter—Lev. 12:2–5). After that she was to offer a yearling lamb and a dove or pigeon (Lev. 12:6). If poor, she could offer two doves or pigeons (Lev. 12:8). Mary’s offering indicates that she and Joseph were poor (v. 24). to Jerusalem. A journey of about 6 mi. from Bethlehem. to present Him to the Lord. The dedication of the firstborn son was also required by Moses’ law (v. 23, cf. Ex. 13:2, 12–15).

At forty days old, we could assume that Jesus was not really aware of the doves or pigeons that were used for this offering. Assumptions are not always 100% correct. We are not going to delve into that discussion here. Nor will we try to assume whether other birds were near Jesus at the manger. We are just going to use what the Word says.

Common Pigeon -aka Rock(Columba livia) by Daves BirdingPix

Common Pigeon -aka Rock(Columba livia) by Daves BirdingPix

The reason the turtledove or pigeons were used, was because of the finances of his mother and Joseph, his step-father.

“2:24 turtledoves. See Leviticus 12:8. Joseph, despite his royal lineage, was only a young carpenter, too poor to bring a lamb for his offering.” (Defender’s Bible)

“The fact that they offered two pigeons instead of a lamb and a pigeon is an indication that Joseph and Mary were not wealthy. Levitical law required a woman, after the birth of a son, to purify herself for 40 days before going to the temple to offer a sacrifice for her purification. The law stated that she was to offer a lamb and a dove, but if she could not afford these, she could offer two pigeons or doves” (Leviticus 12:2–8). (Halley’s Bible Handbook Notes)

As we journey on with Jesus and the Birds, He will be telling about them by way of parables and others means. Stay tuned!

Questions:

  1. How old was Jesus at this time?
  2. What birds could be offered for this sacrifice?
  3. Do you think Jesus saw the birds?
  4. Do babies look around at that age?

For notes and helps, I am using several resources beside God’s Word, the Bible. I use Bible Gateway as a source for many different Bible versions and study helps. Many are free, but a paid option is also available. [That is what I use – $3.99 month)

I also have many different Bibles I own and use, of which my favorite is the Defender’s Bible by Henry Morris. (older version) This can also be used online at Defender’s Bible from I.C.R.

On Lee’s Birdwatching Adventures:

ABC’s of the Gospel

Birds and Jesus – Beginning

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European Turtle Dove (Streptopelia turtur) ©WikiC

European Turtle Dove (Streptopelia turtur) ©WikiC

The Birds of the Bible articles and this blog, Birds of the Bible for Kids, were started to teach about Birds mentioned in the Bible. Many, if not most of those birds have been written about various times. We still continue to add to those articles.

Humm! A question hit me, How many times are there when Jesus and a bird or birds were mentioned in the Gospels, at the same time? Maybe you can think of a few of those occasions. Or can you? Do I remember all those times? I am going to use a book that tells about Jesus’ life here on earth. It uses the first four books of the New Testament which is called the Gospel. Many time Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John tell about the same event, but just a bit different. It’s the same story, but one may point out something the other disciples do not. The book is called a Harmony of the Gospels, or a parallel telling of an event.

Here is an example of a Harmony of the Gospel. This is telling about Jesus feeding the 5,000 people.

But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. (Matthew 14:16-17 KJV)

He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat? He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes. (Mark 6:37-38 KJV)

When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here.” But He said to them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people.” (Luke 9:12-13 NKJV)

One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?” (John 6:8-9 NKJV)

Questions:

  • How many loaves of bread and fish were available?
  • Who had the food?
  • Are the four different disciples telling the same story?

Looking through my book, the Harmony, I found at least 16 times where Jesus and a bird/birds were mentioned at the same event. Stay tuned and come along as I work these into post for us to learn more about the Creator of Our Avian Wonders. Yes, He was that Creator come to earth to pay the price of His Sacrifice on the Cross for our salvation.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” (John 1:1-3 KJV)

Bible Birds

Birds of the Bible

“A Harmony of the Gospels For Students of the Life of Christ,” written by A. T. Robertson.

Wordless Birds

Kiwis from Creation Moments

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North Island Brown Kiwi (Apteryx mantelli) ©Smithsonian Natl Zoo

“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:” Colossians 1:16

As a youngster, I remember once hearing that the England cricket team was getting ready to play a series of matches (a test series) against the Kiwis. Now, I had seen a kiwi in a zoo, so I was puzzled as to how this small, chicken-sized bird could play a ball game against grown men. Of course, in that context, the word kiwi was being used as a demonym for New Zealand people. This is because the five extant species of kiwi all live in New Zealand.

What a remarkable creature the kiwi is! At first sight, it appears to have no wings. Its tiny wings are so short, that they do not appear through the plumage. The kiwi has a long beak – except that it doesn’t, by official beak measurements! Birds’ beaks are usually measured from the nostrils to the tip, and the kiwi’s nostrils are, unusually, near the tip instead of being near the head, as with most birds. Although the kiwi is the size of a chicken, its eggs are six times as big as a chicken’s! In fact, the kiwi’s egg is the largest, in proportion to body size, of any bird in the world.

Why does the kiwi have so many odd behaviors? We cannot know for sure – maybe it had something to do with living in a place that had no mammals. But it looks like it was designed to behave exactly the way that it does by the God who made everything so well.

Prayer: Thank You, Father, for the wide variety of Your creation. Thank You that the world around us truly displays Your creative power. Amen. 

Author: Paul F. Taylor

Ref:  Flightless Birds, accessed 2/28/2019. Image: Public Domain.

© 2020 Creation Moments All rights reserved.

The article mentioned that there are five Kiwi species. Here are photos of them:

Southern Brown Kiwi (Apteryx australis) ©WikiC

Southern Brown Kiwi (Apteryx australis)

North Island Brown Kiwi (Apteryx mantelli) ©Smithsonian Natl Zoo

North Island Brown Kiwi (Apteryx mantelli)

Okarito Kiwi (Apteryx rowi) Chick ©West_Coast_Wildlife_Centre

Okarito Kiwi (Apteryx rowi)

Little Spotted Kiwi (Apteryx owenii) ©Flickr Jim the Photo

Little Spotted Kiwi (Apteryx owenii)

Great Spotted Kiwi (Apteryx haastii) by Jeff©©

Great Spotted Kiwi (Apteryx haastii)

To find out more, see:

Apterygidae – Kiwis

Sunday Inspiration – Ostrich, Rhea, Cassowary, Emu & Kiwi

Birds That Can’t Fly – Creation Moments

Birds Are Wonderful: J, K, and L !

 

Emma’s Stories – The Spring Party of Reginald’s Turkeys

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Turkey by the River ©(Photo Kelly Preheim) FWS-GOV

Turkey by the River ©(Photo Kelly Preheim) FWS-GOV

Reginald the Turkey Commander: The Spring Party

by Emma Foster

   It was nearly springtime, and the turkeys were able to leave their fortresses in the woods to search for food without worrying about hunters or too much snow. There hadn’t been a lot of snow that year, which meant that the closest river to the turkeys wasn’t usually covered in ice.

One day, when it was almost March and the air was cool, the turkeys decided that it would be a good idea to head to the closest lake to celebrate another winter soon over. Reginald, the leader of the turkeys, decided that it would be best to build boats out of the bark of the wood from the trees in order to float down the river to the nearest lake.

The turkeys set to work, finding different trees around the forest where they could easily peel off the bark or branches to make boats and rafts for the river. Oliver followed Reginald around as Reginald looked for something he could use. Reginald found some trees where the bark had been torn off from a storm. He gave several pieces to Oliver to take back to the camp, though Oliver had a difficult time carrying all of them at once. He started kicking a few pieces ahead until Reginald picked up the last pieces and helped him back to the camp.

Some of the smaller turkeys floated on the large pieces of bark they had found, while Reginald and a few others tied the thinner pieces together with moss. When all the boats were finished, Reginald and the turkeys cast off down the river. Reginald knew where the closest lake was, and he knew that the river would split off in two different directions at one point. He knew that the turkeys needed to head east.

Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) by Ian

Reginald, Oliver, and the other turkeys started floating down the lake, steering and rowing with branches. The sun was shining through the trees, and the water was cool and shallow. Reginald made sure that Oliver didn’t float to far away or that he was steering too far ahead.

But when they came to the place where the river went in two different directions, Oliver got caught up in the rapids and drifted the other way, toward the west. Reginald changed course and followed, letting the other turkeys go ahead to the lake.

The water seemed rougher on the side Oliver and Reginald were on. Oliver looked behind him as Reginald tried to catch up and flapped his wings violently. Because he wasn’t paying attention, his boat hit a rock and started to break apart. When Reginald got close enough, Oliver panicked and jumped onto Reginald’s boat. Reginald did his best to keep Oliver from sinking his boat by paddling to the side of the river. He pulled Oliver out of the boat and made his way back to the other river so they could follow it down to the lake.

After walking for what felt like hours, Reginald figured that they were lost and started following the direction of the sun because he knew that the lake had to be north. Oliver trailed after him the entire time, completely forgetting where they were even going. Reginald just shook his head and kept walking.

Turkeys ©Pixabay

Reginald eventually realized that they had been going around in circles. He decided to go straight ahead, and eventually he and Oliver came through the bushes and found the other half of the river. They followed it down stream for a long time before they came to a tree trunk that had fallen across the river. The turkeys had left the boats there because it was too low for them to row under it. Reginald guessed they had walked the rest of the way, which shouldn’t be that far.

Oliver immediately hopped onto the tree, took a few steps to cross the river, and fell in, flapping his wings in terror. Reginald ran after him, urging Oliver to keep his head above water. Suddenly, Oliver disappeared. Reginald reached the edge and realized Oliver had fallen down a small waterfall and had landed in the lake all the other turkeys had reached. Many of the turkeys sat by the side of the lake, enjoying the sun, and they were not surprised to see Oliver flailing about in the water. Reginald finally decided to just jump in after Oliver, leaving his army helmet by the shore. The rest of the day, Reginald, Oliver and the other turkeys sat by the lake in the sun, happy that winter was slowly fading and that they had another year to spend where it was warm before they needed to go back to the fortresses.

Lee’s Addition:

“They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.” (Psalms 36:8 NKJV)

“I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment.” (Ezekiel 34:16 NKJV)
“that the saying might be fulfilled which He spoke, “Of those whom You gave Me I have lost none.” (John 18:9 NKJV)

These verses seem to me to sort of apply. Jesus applies these to us, but the turkey definitely enjoyed the time at the river. Our hero, Reginald, made sure all the turkeys arrived safely. Our Lord wants to make sure that we all arrive safely in Heaven with Him.

Another great story, Emma. Thanks for keeping us up to date on the latest adventures of Reginald and this flock.

See More of Emma’s Tales of Reginald and others at:

Emma’s Stories

Twelve Years of Blogging

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Hooded Merganser Diving Duck, Georgia, by William Wise

Here we go again with another anniversary of the blog. Around February 13th or so, was the 12 anniversary of Lee’s Birdwatching Adventures Plus. During this year, we hit the two million visitor mark. Wow!

The Birds of the Bible For Kids blog has been an important part of the main blog. We have tried to simplify many of the same articles from there so that the younger readers might understand also. We want all to enjoy the Lord’s Created Avian Wonders.

Eastern Phoebe on Beautyberry

Eastern Phoebe on Beautyberry 12-19-19

Looking at all the articles written about the 11th anniversary, I’ll let this one be simple. I just reread all the comments and encouragement that you sent last year. Those were and are again so appreciated. Now, the blog has slowed down some, but we are still blogging. Because of health and our new house, most of my birding adventures seem to be out my back door. I love the avian visitors!

This year, William Wise has joined us with some very interesting articles and photos. Welcome Aboard, William!! Dr. Jim has continued to contribute articles, which are always enjoyable. Ian Montgomery is still sending posts, and Emma Forster continues to enlighten us with her stories. Me, I’ve written less, but we are still at it.

Raven in Pumpkin by Linda Marcille

The Lord is always faithful and keeps us interested in His Creation.

Stay tuned to see what this new year of blogging will discover about our Avian Wonders from the Lord.

(9)  For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.
(10)  And in this I give advice: It is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desiring to do a year ago;
(11)  but now you also must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of what you have.
(12)  For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have. (2 Corinthians 8:9-12 NKJV)

Wordless Birds

Artistic Birds From Their Creator V

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Lady Amherst's Pheasant (Chrysolophus amherstiae)

Lady Amherst’s Pheasant (Chrysolophus amherstiae)

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives,” Ecclesiastes 3:11-12 [NKJV]

The Lady Amherst’s Pheasant (Chrysolophus amherstiae) is a bird of the  Galliformes Order and the family Phasianidae. The genus name is from Ancient Greek khrusolophos, “with golden crest”. The English name and amherstiae commemorates Sarah Amherst, wife of William Pitt Amherst, Governor General of Bengal, who was responsible for sending the first specimen of the bird to London in 1828.

7. Lady Amherst's Pheasant

7. Lady Amherst’s Pheasant

The species is native to southwestern China and far northern Myanmar, but has been introduced elsewhere. Previously, a self-supporting feral population was established in England, the stronghold of which was in West Bedfordshire. Lady Amherst first introduced the ornamental pheasant on her estates, near the Duke of Bedford’s Woburn Abbey, where the birds were also shot for game and interbred. However since late 2015 the species has been believed to be extirpated in Great Britain with no confirmed sightings since March 2015.

The adult male is 100–120 cm (23 in.) in length, its tail accounting for 80 cm of the total length. It is unmistakable with its nuchal cape white black, with a red crest. The long grey tail and rump is red, blue, dark green, white and yellow plumage. The “cape” can be raised in display. This species is closely related to the golden pheasant (C. pictus), but has a yellow eye, blue-green bare skin around it. The bill is horn-coloured and they had blue-gray legs.

Lady Amherst's Pheasant (Chrysolophus amherstiae) Female ©WikiC

Lady Amherst’s Pheasant (Chrysolophus amherstiae) Female ©WikiC

The female is much less showy, with a duller mottled brown plumage all over, similar to that of the female common pheasant (P. colchicus) but with finer barring. She is very like the female golden pheasant, but has a darker head and cleaner underparts than the hen of that species.

Despite the male’s showy appearance, these birds are very difficult to see in their natural habitat, which is dense, dark forests with thick undergrowth. Consequently, little is known of their behaviour in the wild.

Lady Amherst’s Pheasant (Chrysolophus amherstiae) Zoo Miami by Lee

They feed on the ground on grain, leaves and invertebrates, but roost in trees at night. Whilst they can fly, they prefer to run, but if startled they can suddenly burst upwards at great speed, with a distinctive wing sound. The male has a gruff call in the breeding season. [Wikipedia with editing]

Wow! What another beautiful artistic Avian Wonder from our Lord.

GALLIFORMES – Fowl, Quail, Guans, Currasows, Megapodes

Phasianidae – Pheasants & Allies

GALLIFORMES – Fowl, Quail, Guans, Currasows, Megapodes

Artistic Birds From Their Creator I – Introduction

Artistic Birds From Their Creator II  – Frigatebirds

Artistic Birds From Their Creator III – Galliformes Order

Artistic Birds From Their Creator IV – Monal

Artistic Birds From Their Creator V – Lady Amherst’s Pheasant

Wordless Birds

Stupid Ostriches? – Creation Moments

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ARE OSTRICHES STUPID?

Job 39:13-15

“Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks? or wings and feathers unto the ostrich? Which leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in dust, and forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them.”

Ostriches are certainly comical looking birds. Whenever I see a picture of one, it certainly makes me smile.  Mind you, if you meet one up close, you might not laugh so much because they can cause a lot of damage with their legs, and particularly with their feet. But where ostriches come to our notice, as biblical Christians, is that many people think that the Bible is completely mistaken about ostriches, and, therefore, these supposed errors invalidate Scripture.

The main contentious verse is in Job 39. In this chapter, God is telling Job about the various things that He has created to silence Job and show him that his complaints are irrelevant. In verses 14 and 15, the accusation is that the ostrich is pictured as stupid for leaving its eggs in the sand and accidentally crushing them. Then, we are told, the Bible tells us that the mother ostrich forgets, or even neglects, her young.

Common Ostrich (Struthio camelus) at Riverbanks Zoo SC by Lee

Common Ostrich (Struthio camelus) at Riverbanks Zoo SC by Lee

Actually, much of this is based on a false anthropomorphism. We should not expect that an animal is going to show human characteristics. In any case, the mother ostrich does tend to leave her young because the care of newly hatched chicks seems to be the job of the father ostrich, so there is no error in what the Bible is claiming.

So when were ostriches created? They are clearly birds, but they appear designed to live on land. We must assume, therefore, that God made them on Day Six.

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your wisdom in creation, and, like Job, we must stand with our mouths stopped, in awe at Your greatness. Amen.

Author:  Paul F. Taylor

Ref:  Ostrich in the Bible, accessed 1/30/2019. Image: CC BY-SA 4.0 International.

See Bible Birds – Ostrich

Dive In!

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Have you ever been to a park and seen lots of different ducks swimming around? We can tell ducks apart by the way they look. But there is another way ornithologists identify ducks. They divide them into two groups called dabblers and divers.

Dabbling Duck Mallard

The Dabblers – Have you seen the ducks along the edges of the ponds that stick their butts up in air? It’s a real funny site. What they are doing is called dabbling. They are dipping their head into the water and searching the banks for aquatic plants and insects to eat, but they won’t go very deep. The common green-headed Mallard ducks fit into this category of dabblers.

The Divers – The other group, the divers, they swim out to the middle of the pond and SPLASH!!!… they disappear, diving down to the bottom of the pond. They swim deep for those delicious fish and crayfish! The neat looking Hooded Merganser is part of the diving group.

Hooded Merganser Diving Duck, Georgia

When it comes to living for Jesus as a Christian, we can be either dabblers or divers. The dabbling Christian goes to church because his parents make him. He stays along the edges, not helping in church, and never really gets involved or excited. But the diving Christian is one that is excited to live for Jesus, to pray, to give, to get involved, to read his Bible, and to tell his friends about Jesus.

If you are only dabbling on the edges in your church, row your boat out to the middle of the pond and dive in. I can tell you for sure, the water is great! That’s the difference between dabblers and divers! Be a diver, not a dabbler when it comes to God!

To Dabble – verb – 1:  to paddle, splash, or play in or as if in water; to reach with the bill to the bottom of shallow water in order to obtain food; 2: to work or involve oneself superficially or intermittently

Ornithologist –  a scientist that studies the branch of zoology that concerns birds.

Hi kids, I’m wildlife photographer and nature writer William Wise. I gave my life to Jesus while studying wildlife biology in college and soon fell in love with the Creator and His wonderful universe and creatures. My favorite animals are birds, coyotes, alligators and snakes! Each month I teach lessons from the Bible using nature and wildlife to the “creation kids” in my Creation Speaks Sunday School. — “What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations.” Psalms 104, The Message.