Tag Archives: Birds

Interesting Birds – Hoatzin

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Hoatzin by Birdway

Hoatzin by Birdway

The Birds of the Bible usually cover the birds specifically mentioned by name in the Bible, but because of variation within the “kinds”, I decided to start covering some of their “Relatives.” The latest DNA-DNA and other testing have put the Hoatzin in the Cuckoo (Cuculiformes-cuckoos and relatives) family, but that data is being questioned at at present, they aren’t sure where to place it. For now, I stuck it with the Cuckoos. See Birds of the Bible – Cuckoo. (In IOC status it is in the Opisthocomidae Family)

The South American Hoatzin (pronunced hoh-AT-sin), is another of the Lord’s birds that keep evolutionist confused. Most birds eat berries or insects, but the Hoatzin, eats like a cow!

Is anything too hard for the LORD? (Gen 18:14 NKJV)

“The Hoatzin has one more odd characteristic that scientists find the most puzzling of all. Ninety five percent of its diet is leaves. It’s the only bird known to digest its food the same way cows and other ruminants do. Just like ruminants, the Hoatzin uses bacteria to break down the plant material it eats in a special chamber above its stomach.

Hoatzin by Birdway's Ian Montgomery

Hoatzin by Birdway’s Ian Montgomery

How do evolutionists explain this oddity? As one evolutionary scientist who has studied the Hoatzin for decades said, “Hoatzins don’t seem to follow the rules of evolution.” While he admitted to being creative in being able to come up with evolutionary explanations for creatures, he said that he was never able to arrive
at an evolutionary explanation for the Hoatzin’s digestive arrangement.

This leads us to glorify God for one more aspect of His creative work. In creating the Hoatzin, He was able to design a creature that defies any explanation humans might try to invent to deny that He is the Creator. Truly the creation declares His handiwork! (from Creation Moments, World’s Strangest Bird)

“The Hoatzin live in the backwater swamps of the Amazon and Orinco basins in South America.” They eat flowers, fruits, leaves of many marshland plants. The vegetable matter is fermented in their foregut like a cow, sheep, kangaroos and deer, while they sit around digesting their food.

“The Hoatzin chick features a rare anatomical feature — two claws on each budding wing which help it grip branches and clamber about awkwardly. This feature has been compared to Archaeopteryx, the fossil proto-bird, and lend a antediluvian background to what is already a really weird bird. Hoatzins live in family groups and small aggregations (up to 40 birds) and are social throughout the year.
During breeding birds occupy densely packed exclusive territories, sometimes up to 28 nests in one tree. They are noisy and often vocalize in unison with a collection of hoarse cries, grunts, growls and hisses. ” (from Hoatzin, Bird families of the World, see below)

Hoatzin by Ian

Hoatzin by Ian

The birds are pheasant-sized at about 25 inches with a long neck and small head. It’s face is unfeathered with maroon eyes, and its head is topped by a spiky, rufous crest. The bird is also called “stickbird” because of the bird’s manure-like odor, caused by the digestive system.

Though conspicuous, even attractive, at close range due to its bizarre shape and striking colors, unwary and a poor flier, it is not considered endangered. In fact, its survival seems to be more assured than that of many other endemics of its range. In Brazil, tribal people sometimes collect the eggs for food, and the adults are occasionally hunted, but in general this is rare, as it is reputed to have a bad taste. While its preferred habitats, mangrove and riverine forest, are disappearing fast in some regions, it is less threatened than terra firme forest, which is the primary target for deforestation in the Amazon. The Hoatzin therefore remains fairly common in a large part of its range.

Links about the Hoatzin:
Bird eats like a cow!
Hoatzin at Wikipedia
Hoatzin at Bird Families of the World

Hoatzins, Guyana’s National Bird aka the Stink Bird

Updated 12/17/09

From BereanBeacon

Birds of the Bible – None

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I will consume man and beast; I will consume the birds of the heavens, The fish of the sea, And the stumbling blocks along with the wicked. I will cut off man from the face of the land,” Says the LORD. (Zephaniah 1:3 NKJV)

Flame Robin by Birdway

Flame Robin by Birdway

That verse caught me off-guard when I read it. Would the LORD really destroy all the birds? I hadn’t noticed that verse before. So, I went in search of what was meant by it and here are some of my findings:

From Geneva Bible Translation Notes:
“The Argument – Seeing the great rebellion of the people, and that there was now no hope of amendment, he gives notice of the great judgment of God, which was at hand, showing that their country would be utterly destroyed, and they would be carried away captives by the Babylonians.” In response as to the beast, birds and fish being consumed – “Not that God was angry with these dumb creatures, but because man was so wicked for whose cause they were created, God makes them to take part of the punishments with him.” God had created the critters and fish for man, but because of man’s sin, they (critters) are included in the judgement.

Red-breasted Nuthatch by Birdway

Red-breasted Nuthatch by Birdway

From John Darby’s Synopsis:
“The prophet (Zephaniah) begins by declaring that the land should be reduced to complete desolation; afterwards, that Judah, Jerusalem, their false gods, and their priests, should be smitten by the hand of Jehovah. The idolaters, those who mingled the name of Jehovah with that of other gods, those who had turned back from Jehovah, those who had not sought Him, …” Some of the other commentaries also indicated this mix of God and other gods. The New Testament reveals this is not an acceptable way of life in “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Luke 16:13 NKJV)

The other commentaries seem to indicate the same, that because their sin was so bad, God was going to judge them. Have the birds and critters been caught in the judgment of man other times in the Bible? Yes! Here are some examples from Torrey’s Topical Textbook:

As you can see, each time, man’s sin caused or will cause them to suffer.

Tufted Coquette by Birdway

Tufted Coquette by Birdway

Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the LORD said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. (Genesis 6:5-8 NKJV)

Righteous are You, O LORD, when I plead with You; Yet let me talk with You about Your judgments. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously? You have planted them, yes, they have taken root; They grow, yes, they bear fruit. You are near in their mouth But far from their mind. But You, O LORD, know me; You have seen me, And You have tested my heart toward You. Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, And prepare them for the day of slaughter. How long will the land mourn, And the herbs of every field wither? The beasts and birds are consumed, For the wickedness of those who dwell there, Because they said, “He will not see our final end.” (Jeremiah 12:1-4 NKJV)

so that the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all creeping things that creep on the earth, and all men who are on the face of the earth shall shake at My presence. The mountains shall be thrown down, the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.’ (Ezekiel 38:20 NKJV)

Hear the word of the LORD, You children of Israel, For the LORD brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land: “There is no truth or mercy Or knowledge of God in the land. By swearing and lying, Killing and stealing and committing adultery, They break all restraint, With bloodshed upon bloodshed. Therefore the land will mourn; And everyone who dwells there will waste away With the beasts of the field And the birds of the air; Even the fish of the sea will be taken away. (Hosea 4:1-3 NKJV)

Fire-tufted Barbet by Birdway

Fire-tufted Barbet by Birdway

God is going to judge the world and everyone in it. Here in America and around the world, the sinfulness of mankind just continues to increase. How long before we are judged and the critters caught in that judgment with us?

Birds Aren’t Related to Dinosaurs After All

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A recent “Creation Moments” article is worth reading.

australian_ringneck_88735

Australian Ringneck by Birdway

“Anyone who has seen the film Jurassic Park knows that evolutionists have been telling us that modern-day birds are descended from dinosaurs. Well, it looks like the scientists have recently changed their mind.

According to an article on the ScienceDaily website dated June 9, researchers at Oregon State University have made a fundamental new discovery about how birds breathe and have a lung capacity that allows for flight – and the finding means it’s unlikely that birds descended from any known theropod dinosaurs.

The article goes on to report that the conclusions add to other evolving evidence that may finally force many paleontologists to reconsider their long-held belief that modern birds are the direct descendants of ancient, meat-eating dinosaurs, OSU researchers say.

‘For one thing, birds are found earlier in the fossil record than the dinosaurs they are supposed to have descended from,” said OSU professor of zoology John Ruben. “That’s a pretty serious problem, and there are other inconsistencies with the bird-from-dinosaur theories.’…”

Birds Arent Related to Dinosaurs After All – Continued

Here are some more quotes from the “Discovery Raises New Doubts About Dinosaur-bird Links:

Bird Skeleton“It’s been known for decades that the femur, or thigh bone in birds is largely fixed and makes birds into “knee runners,” unlike virtually all other land animals, the OSU experts say. What was just discovered, however, is that it’s this fixed position of bird bones and musculature that keeps their air-sac lung from collapsing when the bird inhales.”

“This is fundamental to bird physiology,” said Devon Quick, an OSU instructor of zoology who completed this work as part of her doctoral studies. “It’s really strange that no one realized this before. The position of the thigh bone and muscles in birds is critical to their lung function, which in turn is what gives them enough lung capacity for flight.”

“However, every other animal that has walked on land, the scientists said, has a moveable thigh bone that is involved in their motion – including humans, elephants, dogs, lizards and – in the ancient past – dinosaurs.”

“The implication, the researchers said, is that birds almost certainly did not descend from theropod dinosaurs, such as tyrannosaurus or allosaurus. The findings add to a growing body of evidence in the past two decades that challenge some of the most widely-held beliefs about animal evolution.”

For the rest of this article:
Discovery Raises New Doubts About Dinosaur-bird Links – ScienceDaily Article
More Related Articles of Interest:
Warm, Cuddly Dinosaurs?
We Don’t Know More than We Know About Dinosaurs

Birds in Hymns – He The Pearly Gates Will Open

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But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, (Titus 3:4 KJV)

Writer:    Frederick A Blom 1867-1927

Musician: Elsie Ahlwen, 1905-

Love divine, so great and wondrous or

He The Pearly Gates Will Open

White-winged Dove by Reinier

White-winged Dove by Reinier

Love divine, so great and wondrous,
Deep and mighty, pure, sublime!
Coming from the heart of Jesus,
Just the same through tests of time.
Refrain

He the pearly gates will open,
So that I may enter in;
For He purchased my redemption
And forgave me all my sin.

Like a dove when hunted, frightened,,
As a wounded fawn was I;
Brokenhearted, yet He healed me,
He will heed the sinner’s cry.

Refrain

Sunset at Circle B by TommyT

Sunset at Circle B by TommyT

Love divine, so great and wondrous,
All my sins He then forgave!
I will sing His praise forever,
For His blood, His power to save.

Refrain

In life’s eventide, at twilight,
At His door I’ll knock and wait;
By the precious love of Jesus
I shall enter Heaven’s gate.

Refrain

And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.
(Rev 21:21 KJV)

Also known as: Love Divine

Hymn History of He The Pearly Gates Will Open
He The Pearly Gates Will Open – SermonAudio’s Online Hymnal
CyberHymnal

See ~ Wordless Birds

More ~ Birds in Hymns

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Birds of the Bible – Favorites

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Finch at Creation Museum (through glass)

Finch at Creation Museum (through glass)

While on vacation, I showed some family and friends this blog, and took them to some of my favorite articles and videos. Putting out a rushed article (which is due today) would not be good, instead, I am going to share the links to my favorites. If you are new to the blog or just pop in every now an then, you may have missed these. I go back to them every now and then, just because I enjoy them.

“Birds of the Bible – Eagles” the article and then scroll down to the African Eagle fishing video.

Amazing Free-Flying Bald Eagle “Challenger”

“Birds of the Bible – Owls” especially the last video with the Burrowing Owls

“Birds of the Bible – Under His Wings”

“Birds of the Bible – For His Pleasure” and “For His Pleasure II”

Plus there are many more favorites, but this will do for now. Going back and reviewing things is good for us. Just like the Bible, it never gets exhausted and you find new things each time you read it.

The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge. (Pro 18:15 KJV)
The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, But the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness. (Pro 15:14 NKJV)

Back from Vacation

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Then He said to them, “Come away, all of you, to a quiet place, and rest awhile.” For there were many coming and going, so that they had no time even for meals. (Mar 6:31 WNT)

Duck Lake - Robbins AFB, GA

Duck Lake - Robbins AFB, GA

Dan and I have been on vacation, and are back now. Guess I will have to get busy and write some more articles. Between traveling and having computer problems that knocked me off the Internet, I haven’t been able to do much. Thanks to other’s articles and what few I could get up, we have kept things sort of running.

Zonkey at Creation Museum

Zonkey at Creation Museum

We went to Indiana to visit family, the Creation Museum in Kentucky, then Ohio to visit a friend, and friends in Georgia. We were suppose to be “birdwatching” our way home, but the heat indexes were in the 100+ degree range. The birds were hiding and so were we. So, we came home four days early.

I “birdwatched” from the car as Dan drove us up and back. I did keep a list. On the way up, several birds that hit my fancy (because we don’t get to see them often) were: Swallow-tailed Kites, American Crows, Cardinals, Robins, Purple Martins, and a Red-tailed Hawk. On the way home – a Kestrel, lots of Eastern Meadowlarks, a Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers and Bluebirds at a park (Blue Lick Battlefield SRP in Kentucky)

Brown Thrasher - Robbins AFB, GA

Brown Thrasher - Robbins AFB, GA

The best “birdwatching” we got to do was at Robbins AFB in Georgia.  They have a Duck Lake where we were able to see the most birds. Here is what we saw or heard there on the 27th of June: Eastern Pewee, Hairy and a Downy Woodpecker, Mockingbirds, Cardinals, Carolina Wren, Blue Jays, White Breasted Nuthatch, Mourning Doves, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Tufted Titmouse, House Sparrows, Great Egret, Brown Thrasher, Brown Headed Cowbird, Red-headed Woodpecker, Little Blue Heron, Rock Pigeons, Brown Thrush, Cattle Egrets and several I am trying to ID. It is very wooded around the lake and made for great birding.

Birds of the Bible – Niami, Niger, West Africa

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Our missionaries in Niami, Niger, encounter different Birds of the Bible than our missionary in Brazil, that I wrote about last week.

These are some of the different birds mentioned in the Bible that they might see in Niger that we don’t see here. Some do not have pictures, so this is not a complete list. All of these pictures are from the Niger, Africa list of birds from Wikipedia.

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Avibase Checklist of Birds – Niger

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When I Consider – Guillemot

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I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine. (Psalms 50:11 ESV)

When I Consider!

When I Consider!

“Evidence From Biology”

“Every feature and function of a bird’s body testifies to design. From the moment they lay their eggs to their yearly migrations across the globe, birds provide eloquent testimony to their Creator.

Guillemot - Wikipedia

Guillemot – Wikipedia

While most birds  have been given instincts to build strong nests to protect their eggs, the guillemot does not build any nest. Instead, guillemots simply lay their eggs on bare windswept rocks. Their eggs are shaped in such a way, however, that when the wind blows, they spin in place, instead of rolling off the rocks. Who programmed  the guillemots to form their eggs exactly the right shape in order to survive in their harsh environment, whereas other sea birds produce ordinary shaped eggs and build nests to protect these eggs?

How do hundreds of species of birds migrate thousands of miles every year at the right time and to the right place? Every fall the American Golden Plover youngsters make an astounding 3,000 mile flight across the Pacific Ocean from Alaska to the island of Hawaii, with no parent to guide them. They fly through the darkness, clouds, and storms, and land at the correct destination. Their bodies are so effecient that they only burn ounces of body weight on this incredible 3,000 mile flight. Who designed their bodies with this extraordinary efficiency, taught these birds to navigate, and gave them the desire to make this journey?”

Above quote from June 11th’s A Closer Look at the Evidence by Richard and Tina Kleiss, with info from Myths and Miracles, p32, CEA Update Newsletter (Summer/95)

Below from Wikipedia

Guillemot Eggs

Guillemot Eggs

“Common Guillemot eggs are large (around 11% of female weight), and are pointed at one end. There are a few theories to explain their pyriform shape:

  1. If disturbed, they roll in a circle than fall off the ledge.
  2. The shape allows efficient heat transfer during incubation.
  3. As a compromise between large egg size and small cross-section. Large size allows quick development of the chick. Small cross-sectional area allows the adult bird to have a small cross-section and therefore reduce drag when swimming.”

Birds of the Bible – Paraiba, Brazil

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Paraiba state in Brazil

Paraiba state in Brazil

Because one of our men left for Brazil to become a missionary and we already have a missionary there, I was wondering if they might see different Birds of the Bible than we see up here in North America. So, this is the result of that search. The first thing I found out is that “Brazil has one of the richest bird diversities in the world, with more than 1700 species of birds, about 57% of the bird species recorded for all of South America. That fact was enough to make me realize I might be busy for awhile doing this. With the help of “Avibase – the world bird database” I was able to narrow the list down to Paraiba, a State, in Brazil, which is the area of both our missionaries.

Technically all birds are mentioned in the Bible because the Lord created them on the fifth day of creation. The list here is only of the “named” kinds in the Bible.

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  • Quails – Spot-winged Wood-Quail
  • Cormorants – Neotropic Cormorant (here)
  • Bitterns – Pinnated Bitterns
  • Heron – Cocoi, Tricolored (here), Little Blue (here),  Striated, Black-crowned and Yellow-crowned Night-Herons (here), Boat-billed Heron, Rufescent Tiger-Herons, and Zigzag Heron
  • Storks – Wood Stork (here) and Jabiru
  • Vultures – American Black and Turkey (here), Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture, Andean Condor, King Vulture
  • Osprey – Osprey (here)
  • Kites – Gray-headed, Swallow-tailed (here), Pearl, White-tailed (here), Snail (here), Slender-billed, Double-toothed, Plumbeous Kites
  • Hawks – Tiny, Sharp-shinned, Bicolored , Crane, White-necked, Mantled, Rufous Crab-Hawk, Great Black-Hawk, Savanna,  Harris’s , Black-collared, Gray, Roadside, Short-tailed (here), White-tailed (here), Zone-tailed (here)
  • Eagles – Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle, Crested, Harpy, Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle, Black Hawk-Eagle, Ornate Hawk-Eagle
  • Falcons Family – Laughing, Barred Forest-Falcon, Lined Forest-Falcon, Collared Forest-Falcon, American Kestrel (here), Aplomado and Peregrine Falcon (here), Bat Falcon and Orange-breasted Falcon, Southern and Yellow-headed Caracara
  • Lapwings – Pied and Southern Lapwing
  • Doves – Eared, Scaled, White-tipped (here), and Grey-fronted Doves
  • Ground-Doves – Common, Plain-breasted, Ruddy (here), Picui, Blue
  • Quail-Doves – Violaceous and Ruddy (here)
  • Pigeons – Rock (here), Picazuro, Pale-vented
  • Cuckoos – Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Pearly-breasted Cuckoo, Mangrove Cuckoo, Dark-billed Cuckoo, Squirrel Cuckoo, Little Cuckoo, Guira Cuckoo, Striped Cuckoo,
  • Owls – Barn Owl (here), Great Horned (here), Mottled, Crested, Spectacled, Burrowing (here), Buff-fronted, Striped Owls
  • Screech Owls – Tropical
  • Pygmy-Owls – Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl
  • Nighthawks and Nightjars – Short-tailed Nighthawk, Least Nighthawk, Least Nighthawk,  Lesser Nighthawk (here), Common Nighthawk (here), Nacunda Nighthawk, Common Pauraque, Ocellated Poorwill, Rufous Nightjar, Little Nightjar, Scissor-tailed Nightjar, Pygmy Nightjar
  • Swifts – White-collared (here), Biscutate, Fork-tailed Palm-Swift and Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift
  • Swallows – Brown-chested Martin, Gray-breasted Martin;  White-winged, Blue-and-white, Southern Rough-winged, Collared Sand Martin/Bank Swallow (here), Barn (here) Swallows
  • Sparrows – Pectoral, Saffron-billed, Grassland, Rufous-collared and House (here) Sparrows

Birds of the Bible that are missing in Paraiba, Brazil are the Cranes, Hoopoe, Partridge, Peacock, Pelicans, Ravens, Swan, Pelicans. At least from what I can find out so far.

Did Birds Evolve From Dinosaurs?

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Painted BuntingThis weeks “Answersweekly” has a very interesting article about two Oregon State University scientist who don’t agree with the bird-to-dinosaur theory.  There is a link there for the “Birds Did Not Evolve from Dinosaurs, Say Evolutionists“, with a subtitle of, “Stunning New Research Overturns Widely Held Evolutionary Idea.”

It is worth your time to read the material of both links. As you know, we believe God Created both the Birds and the Dinosaur (that term not used in the Bible – a modern term) during the same Creation Week. That aside, read what these evolutionary scientist say about the anatomy of the two and how the bird could not have evolved from a dinosaur.

All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, and another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish. (1 Corinthians 15:39 NASB)

Birds of the Bible – Study Tips

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When the Birds of the Bible were introduced in February, 2008, “Introduction to Birds of the Bible“, the goal was to acquaint you with each bird that is mentioned in the Bible and for you to learn of God’s great handiwork in their creation. These blogs have grown greatly since then.  I would like to share some of the methods that I use to produce these articles and to study God’s Word.

Emerald Dove by Birdway

Emerald Dove by Birdway

As you are reading along in your Bible, you may come across the mention of a particular bird (or any other topic)  in a verse. You see a bird and are wondering whether it is mentioned in Scripture. Your curiosity is caught and you want to find out more. What do you do?

  • As a “birdwatcher,” you can pull our your handy bird handbooks like: Peterson Field Guide for Birds, Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds, The Sibley Guide to Birds, etc.
  • As an “internet birdwatcher,” you can “Google” that bird and get instant information (more than you can ever read) and learn many interesting things.
  • As a “Bible birdwatcher,” you can look in your concordance for references to that bird and if you have a Bible software program, such as “e-Sword” (free), you can search for the bird.
  • Also as a “Bible birdwatcher,” you may want to see why the bird is mentioned and what applications can be made by that passage of Scripture used. I like to use the Topical references, like Nave’s Topical Bible and Torrey’s New Topical Textbook. That is one reason that they are available here to help in the study of the “Birds of the Bible.” The ones here are different in that I put a picture of the bird on its page.

But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you; And the birds of the air, and they will tell you; (Job 12:7 NKJV)

This verse has been quoted many times in these blogs and we have tried to apply it to the lessons to be learned. Also, there are many other verses that give encouragement to study God’s Word.

These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. (Acts 17:11 KJV)
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15 KJV)

As you study about the birds (or whatever in the Bible), I trust you will:

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. (Colossians 3:16 KJV)