Tag Archives: Home School

Birds of the Bible – Whistling Ducks

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Black-bellied Whistling Ducks forming V

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks forming V

We keep encountering Whistling Ducks as we visit the zoos and as we go birdwatching, especially at Circle B Bar Reserve. There we get to see the Black-bellied Whistling Ducks quite frequently. At Palm Beach Zoo, I got tickled at the feet of the Black-bellieds. This week at Lowry Park Zoo, we took photos of their Spotted Whistling Duck which are fairly new residents.

Spotted Whistling Duck by Lee at LPZ Cropped

Spotted Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna guttata) by Lee at LPZ

I checked the e-Sword Bible program and can not find any “Ducks” or “Waterfowl” in Scripture by name, only in references to all birds being created, etc. They are still neatly created birds and are a joy to watch.

Black-bellied Whistling Duck Feet by Lee at PB Zoo

Black-bellied Whistling Duck Feet by Lee at PB Zoo

There are three verses that refer to a “whistle” and in all of them it is the Lord who is doing the whistling.

He will lift up a banner to the nations from afar, And will whistle to them from the end of the earth; Surely they shall come with speed, swiftly. (Isaiah 5:26 NKJV) (For judgment)

And it shall come to pass in that day That the LORD will whistle for the fly That is in the farthest part of the rivers of Egypt, And for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. (Isaiah 7:18 NKJV) (For judgment)

I will whistle for them and gather them, For I will redeem them; And they shall increase as they once increased. (Zechariah 10:8 NKJV) (for redemption)

Whistling ducks are found in the tropics and subtropics. As their name implies, they have distinctive whistling calls. The whistling ducks have long legs and necks, and are very gregarious, flying to and from night-time roosts in large flocks. Both sexes have the same plumage, and all have a hunched appearance and black underwings in flight.

The first whistling ducks were described by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae in 1758: the Black-bellied Whistling Duck (then Anas autumnalis) and the West Indian Whistling Duck (then Anas arborea). In 1837, William John Swainson named the genus Dendrocygna to distinguish whistling ducks from the other waterfowl.

The whistling ducks or tree ducks are a subfamily, Dendrocygninae of the duck, goose and swan family of birds, Anatidae. They are not true ducks. In other taxonomic schemes, they are either considered a separate family Dendrocygnidae, or a tribe Dendrocygnini in the goose subfamily Anserinae. The subfamily has one genus, Dendrocygna, which contains eight living species, and one undescribed extinct species from Aitutaki of the Cook Islands.

The eight species of whistling duck are currently recognized in the genus Dendrocygna. However, Johnsgard considers the White-backed Duck (Thalassornis leuconotus) from Africa and Madagascar to be distinct ninth species, a view first proposed in 1960 and initially supported by behavioral similarities. Later, similarities in anatomy, duckling vocalizations, and feather proteins gave additional support. Molecular analysis in 2009 also suggested that the White-backed Duck was nested within the whistling duck clade. (Wikipedia with editing)

White-faced Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna viduata) by Dan

Black-bellied Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis)

Spotted Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna guttata) by Ian

West Indian Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna arborea)

Fulvous Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna bicolor)

Plumed Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna eytoni) Zoo Miami’s by Dan

Wandering Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna arcuata) – Video by Nick

Lesser Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna javanica) Zoo Miami’s by Dan

White-backed Duck (Thalassornis leuconotus) ©WikiC

(All sounds are from xeno-canto, but they didn’t have an audio for the White-backed Duck)

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Anatidae – Ducks, Geese & Swans Family Page

Wikipedia’s pages for the Whistling Ducks and the White-backed Duck

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Golden Eagle Takes A Name

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Golden Eagle Takes A Name

by Golden Eagle

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Golden Eagle ©PD

Golden Eagle ©PD

Boys and girls, it’s me again! I have taken on a name: the GOLDEN EAGLE. So, if you send us messages you can simply call me the Golden Eagle. My very best friend, Jesus once said;”

Behold the fowls (birds) of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? (Matthew 6:26 KJV)

Hey, as you go through your day watch the birds! It really doesn’t look like they work to hard! Jesus is saying that His Father feeds and takes care of the birds each and every day! Now here’s a thought. I don’t know what part of the world you live in? The cool thing is that God feeds the birds every day! ALL the birds in the entire WORLD. If He takes care of the birds, He will surely take care of you in whatever situations you find yourself in. I know some things are hard to deal with, even as kids. But God is up to the task and really everything is easy for Him! So TRUST HIM! Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him (Jesus). Psalm 2:12

Boys and girls, Jesus also said in our Bible verse that you are better than birds. Now birds are neat! I am a birder, a rather new birder, I have been at this a few months. You see evolution teaches that we have evolved from a rock, an explosion, a single celled creature, etc. It teaches that we are all animals. But Jesus said you are better than the birds. The truth is that you and I were created just a little bit under the angels! And do you know that angels can fly? They fly very swiftly the Bible says! Daniel 9:21 Oh that verse is talking about the angel Gabriel coming to visit the prophet Daniel.

Remember, your Heavenly Father will take care of each of you today! You also each have a guardian angel that watches over you! Maybe we have more than one guardian angel. Eventually, we will fly like the angels! Gravity doesn’t affect them you know.

Hey, have you started your journal yet? You can write down all kinds of things. Don’t forget to send us your really cool bird stories. Have a great day and if possible attend a good church on Sunday, or any day for that matter! Until next time, this is the Golden Eagle saying Shalom!

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Read more of Golden Eagle’s articles

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The Rescue of the Canary Bird

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Yellow Canary (Crithagra flaviventris) Male ©WikiC

Yellow Canary (Crithagra flaviventris) Male ©WikiC

THE RESCUE OF THE CANARY BIRD

She Watched the Little Bird.

She Watched the Little Bird.

“I am going to tell you a really true story,” said daddy, “something which happened to-day. I was walking along a rather poor part of the city when I saw a number of children gathered in a group in a little side yard of a tenement house. The children were screaming to one boy: ‘Oh, catch him! Don’t let the awful cat get him!'”

“Oh, was it a bird?” asked Jack eagerly.

“Yes,” replied daddy; “it was a bird, but not just the usual kind of bird that is seen around city streets, for only the sparrows like the noise of a city. Most birds like the woods and the country, where they can have homes in the trees and can sing all day long.

“But this was a tame yellow canary who had flown out of an open window to pick up some goodies he saw on the ground, and a cat was after him.”

“Did they get him from the cat?” asked Evelyn eagerly, for she was devoted to animals and perhaps especially to birds.

“Yes,” answered daddy; “the little boy succeeded in rescuing him, but the poor canary had been so frightened that his little heart was beating, oh, so fast, and the children were afraid he was not going to live.

“They all followed the little boy who had caught the canary just in time into the tenement house. The cat had knocked several feathers from the bird’s tail.

“Another child told me the canary belonged to a little girl who lived in the tenement. He asked me to follow, too, for he said that the little girl had trouble with her back and had to lie flat all the time. She loved visitors, for so much of the time she was lonely. Her mother was poor and out all day sewing, so the little girl’s only companion was the canary, who would sing for hours and hours. He seemed to know he must keep her cheered up.

“So along I went too. We climbed some stairs until we came to a dingy room where on a cot by the window lay a little girl about eight years old. She had big dark eyes, and when I saw her her cheeks were bright red from all the excitement.

“All her friends had gathered around, each giving her a special description of how the bird had been rescued. She was smiling with joy and watching the bird, who was now busily engaged nibbling at a little piece of apple which had been given him. Before long he began to sing, oh, so joyously, for he knew he was once more back in his happy home, where he would take good care to stay in the future.

“I told the little girl of my Jack and Evelyn, and she said she wanted to see you both. Shall we all go to see her and her little bird some day?”

“We’d love to!” cried Jack and Evelyn delightedly.

Lee’s Addition:

The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. (Psalms 18:2)

Another delightful story from Daddy’s book.

The Yellow Canary (Serinus flaviventris) is a small passerine bird in the finch family. It is a resident breeder in much of the western and central regions of southern Africa and has been introduced to Ascension and St Helena islands. They have been kept for pets for many years. They belong to the Fringillidae – Finches Family.

Its habitat is karoo and coastal or mountain valley scrub. It builds a compact cup nest in a scrub.

The Yellow Canary is typically 13 cm in length. The adult male color ranges from almost uniform yellow in the northwest of its range to streaked, olive backed birds in the southeast. The underparts, rump and tail sides are yellow. The female has grey-brown upperparts, black wings with yellow flight feathers, and a pale supercilium. The underparts are white with brown streaking. The juvenile resembles the female, but has heavier streaking.

The Yellow Canary is a common and gregarious seedeater. Its call is chissick or cheree, and the song is a warbled zee-zeree-chereeo.

Another Bird Tales

From

Daddy’s Bedtime Bird Stories – Gutenberg ebooks

By

Mary Graham Bonner

With four illustrations in color by
Florence Choate and Elizabeth Curtis

Daddys Bedtime Story Images

 

These stories first appeared in the American Press Association Service and the Western Newspaper Union.

Many of the sketches in this volume are the work of Rebecca McCann, creator of the “Cheerful Cherub,” etc.

Daddy's Bedtime Bird Stories by Mary Graham Bonner - 1917

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Daddy’s Bedtime Bird Stories by Mary Graham Bonner – 1917

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Links:

Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris) ©©Flickr

 

 

  Bird Tales

 

 

 

 

 

  Daddy’s Bedtime Bird Stories

 

 

 

Spanish Sparrow (Passer Hispaniolensis) female ©WikiC

 

  Wordless Birds

 

 

 

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 Fringillidae – Finches Family

 

 

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Birds of the Bible – Chestnut-breasted Malkoha

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Chestnut-breasted Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus curvirostris) Palm Beach Zoo by Lee

Chestnut-breasted Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus curvirostris) Palm Beach Zoo by Lee

And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckoo, and the hawk after his kind, (Deuteronomy 14:15 KJV)
And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckoo, and the hawk after his kind, (Leviticus 11:16 KJV)

While we were on our trip last week, we stopped by the Palm Beach Zoo. I now have another bird that I have fallen in love with. The Chestnut-bellied Malkoha is a beautiful bird and we were able to see him (or her) up close.

They are members of the Cuculidae – Cuckoos Family. When that was realized, that gave another Bird of the Bible article. There have been other Cuckoo articles written:

In those articles the Cuckoos and the Couas were introduced. Now I want to introduce you to another group within the Cuculidae Family, the Malkohas.

Malkohas are large birds in the cuckoo family Cuculidae, all in the genus Phaenicophaeus. The group name is derived from the Sinhala word for the Red-faced Malkoha; Mal-Koha meaning flower-cuckoo. These are all Asian tropical species. The genus name is derived from the Ancient Greek phoiniko– “crimson”, and phaes “eyes” or “face”, referring to the Red-faced Malkoha. However, the ‘œ’ was mistranscribed as ‘æ’.

Raffles’s Malkoha (“P.” chlorophaeus) is a highly distinct species and may not even be as closely related to malkohas as long believed. Its placement in a monotypic genus Rhinortha is supported by a morphological, molecular and behavioral evidence.
The Green Malkoha or Yellowbill seems also distinct from the typical malkohas; it is placed in the monotypic genus Ceuthmochares. (Wikipedia)

We encountered the Chestnut-breasted Malkoha a few years ago when we visited Wings of Asia (Zoo Miami) and then again on this trip at both the Wings of Asia and Palm Beach Zoo. This time there is a video to share and some close-ups. What a beautiful creation from the Lord. I love the eyes especially. They remind me of the Egyptian painting with their eyes. Maybe they saw the Malkohas and painted their eyes like them. Oh, by the way, the Cuckoos are on the “do not list.” Who would want to eat a beautiful bird like these? According to this sign at Zoo Miami, it says the male has blue eyes and the female has yellow eyes.

Chestnut-breasted Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus curvirostris) Sign by Lee at ZM 2014

Chestnut-breasted Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus curvirostris) Sign by Lee at ZM 2014

This video was taken at the Palm Beach Zoo 2014.

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Other Malkohas in the Cuckoo Family:

Raffles’s Malkoha (Rhinortha chlorophaea)
Blue Malkoha (Ceuthmochares aereus)
Green Malkoha (Ceuthmochares australis)
Sirkeer Malkoha (Taccocua leschenaultii)
Red-billed Malkoha (Zanclostomus javanicus)
Yellow-billed Malkoha (Rhamphococcyx calyorhynchus)
Chestnut-breasted Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus curvirostris)
Red-faced Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus)
Chestnut-bellied Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus sumatranus)
Blue-faced Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus viridirostris)
Black-bellied Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus diardi)
Green-billed Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus tristis)
Rough-crested Malkoha (Dasylophus superciliosus)
Scale-feathered Malkoha (Dasylophus cumingi)

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Gospel Presentation

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Sunday Inspiration – Hummingbirds

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Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl) by Judd Patterson

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl) by Judd Patterson

How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light. O continue thy lovingkindness unto them that know thee; and thy righteousness to the upright in heart. (Psa 36:7-10)

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Come Thou Fount by the Faith Baptist Orchestra. (Used With Permission of Faith Baptist Church)

(Music and photos are used by permission. If copied, you must obtain permission also.)

Hummingbirds are one of the most beautiful and delicate creations from our Lord. Enjoy seeing what He Hath Made.

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And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
(Rev 21:6)

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More Sunday Inspiration

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The Naughty Little Sick Snowbird

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Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis) by Ray

Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis) by Ray

THE NAUGHTY LITTLE SICK SNOWBIRD

The Bird Began to Recover.

The Bird Began to Recover.

 

 

Daddy had been encouraging Jack and Evelyn to feed the little birds that came outside the window. So one evening when it was time for their story he told them about the Christmas a little snowbird had had the year before.

“He was a very self-willed little fellow,” commenced daddy, “and he thought no one knew so much about life as he did. During the autumn he had become very chummy with the sparrows. His daddy and mother didn’t like that much, as they were afraid he would become as rude and noisy as the sparrows were.

“When the cold weather came the snowbirds decided to leave, but the little wilful snowbird was nowhere to be found. ‘Where could he have gone?’ asked Mother Snowbird, and daddy said, ‘Oh, probably he left this morning with the robins and wrens, for I saw him playing with them!’ That eased Mother Snowbird’s fears, and off they started.

“When the little snowbird saw that his family had flown away he came out from his hiding-place. He really felt a little homesick and was sorry he hadn’t gone, too; but, of course, he didn’t dare admit it, for the sparrows had told him only stupid children were obedient. They admired his naughty disobedience and thought it was a great joke to worry his family.

“A few weeks went by, and the days became colder and colder. One night he felt so cold and so unhappy that he flew away from the sparrows, expecting to die any moment.

“The next morning he was found, half dead, by a little girl. She took him in her house, warmed his frozen feet and fed him bits of crumbs and drops of water. Slowly he began to recover.

“It was the day before Christmas, and he was perched on the window-sill in the sun, when, to his huge joy, he saw Daddy and Mother Snowbird outside the window. He flew against the window-glass. The little girl came rushing into the room to see what the trouble was. She was sure from his joyous actions that the other two snowbirds were his daddy and mother, so she opened the window, and the little bird flew out.

“‘Oh, dear, we’ve been so frightened!’ said Mother Snowbird.

“‘Yes,’ said Daddy Snowbird; ‘we’ve been on ever so many trips looking for you, but now we’ll hurry down home and fly fast, so as not to get cold, and then we’ll be there in time for Christmas day. All the little birds will be there waiting for the Christmas party.’

“You may be quite sure the little snowbird never had a happier Christmas, and he realized that the older birds knew what was best for him.”

Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis) by J Fenton

It might have been a Snow Bunting by J Fenton

Lee’s Addition:

Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord. (Colossians 3:20 NKJV)

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Another Bird Tales

From

Daddy’s Bedtime Bird Stories – Gutenberg ebooks

By

Mary Graham Bonner

With four illustrations in color by
Florence Choate and Elizabeth Curtis

Daddys Bedtime Story Images

 

These stories first appeared in the American Press Association Service and the Western Newspaper Union.

Many of the sketches in this volume are the work of Rebecca McCann, creator of the “Cheerful Cherub,” etc.

Daddy's Bedtime Bird Stories by Mary Graham Bonner - 1917

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Daddy’s Bedtime Bird Stories by Mary Graham Bonner – 1917

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Links:

Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris) ©©Flickr

 

 

  Bird Tales

 

 

 

 

 

  Daddy’s Bedtime Bird Stories

 

 

 

Spanish Sparrow (Passer Hispaniolensis) female ©WikiC

 

  Wordless Birds

 

 

 

 

Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis) by J Fenton

 

 

 Calcariidae – Longspurs, Snow Buntings – Family

 

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Sunday Inspiration – Laughingthrush

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Blue-crowned Laughingthrush (Garrulax courtoisi) at Cincinnati Zoo by Lee

Blue-crowned Laughingthrush (Garrulax courtoisi) at Cincinnati Zoo by Lee

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
(Hebrews 10:23-25 NKJV)

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My Faith Still Holds by the Faith Baptist Orchestra. (Used With Permission of Faith Baptist Church)

(Music and photos are used by permission. If copied, you must obtain permission also.)

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Laughingthrushes are members of the Leiothrichidae – Laughingthrushes Family.

See:

Falling Plates

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More Sunday Inspiration

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Bible Birds Scrambled Puzzle

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Western Barn Owl (Tyto alba) by SSlayton

Western Barn Owl (Tyto alba) by SSlayton

Creation Moments has Scrambled Scriptures Puzzles each week that you can subscribe to. Click here to see all of them.

This is one that has the Birds of the Bible scrambled. By clicking the link below, you can download it. Then it can be printed. Enjoy!

L T R L N A G T U R T L E D O V E T
W Q T N E T E B C A O K R O T S U Q
O C N O V G G S L I A U Q E G E E G
R B A C A S A N P Y E R P S O N A L
F H R L R N R R I A M V C F O A Y E
Y J O A E O F R E G R Z T V K R Z D
H T M F S R I U T R H R U Y C C Z E
D H R C F E S Y I K U T O C U B P K
V C O S C H S W K Y J D H W C I O C
P I C G D H O O E A G L E A G O U O
V R D E G D I R T R A P O E W Y G C
U T N H V U U C U Z Y Q O P C K N A
L S N O N E D B K K B N W F P L I E
T O W O O U T D M E M K L B H Y W P
U U Z P G C O C H L N C W W P V P F
R T R O Q V W O L L A W S A T K A B
E X E E E U B I T T E R N X H L L C
R H E A W G N A C I L E P N A W S X  ©Creation Moments
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BITTERN
CHICKEN
CORMORANT
CRANE
CROW
CUCKOO
DOVE
EAGLE
FALCON
GLEDE
HAWK
HERON
HOOPOE
KITE
LAPWING
NIGHTHAWK
OSPREY
OSSIFRAGE
OSTRICH
OWL
PARTRIDGE
PEACOCK
PELICAN
PIGEON
QUAIL
RAVEN
SPARROW
STORK
SWALLOW
SWAN
TURTLEDOVE
VULTURE

Bible Birds Puzzle

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Sunday Inspiration – Eagles

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But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31 KJV)

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Listen to music as the slideshow presents some of the Lord’s beautifully created birds.

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Don’t Give Up © by The Hyssongs (Used With Permission of the Hyssongs)

(Music and photos are used by permission. If copied, you must obtain permission also.)

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Eagles are members of the Accipitridae – Kites, Hawks and Eagles Family.

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More Sunday Inspiration

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Birds of the World – Blue-cheeked Bee-eater

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Southern Carmine Bee-eater (Merops nubicus) by Marc at Africaddict

Southern Carmine Bee-eater (Merops nubicus) by Marc at Africaddict

What a neat video of the Blue-cheeked Bee-eater. I have seen photos of them, but seeing birds in action is always special. There are some birds that just hit my fancy as I admire the Lord’s Handiwork. The Bee-eaters are one of those.

By Igor Byshnev

Matthew 6:25-34 NKJV
(25) “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
(26) Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
(27) Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
(28) “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;
(29) and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
(30) Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
(31) “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
(32) For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
(33) But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
(34) Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Bee-eaters belong to the Meropidae – Bee-eaters Family which has 27 species.

As the name suggests, bee-eaters predominantly eat flying insects, especially bees and wasps, which are caught in the air by sallies from an open perch. While they pursue any type of flying insect, honey bees predominate in their diet. Hymenoptera (ants, bees and wasps) comprise from 20% to 96% of all insects eaten, with honey bees comprising approximately one-third of the Hymenoptera. (Wikipedia with editing)

Articles Mentioning Birds From This Family:

Other Websites that have photos of this Family:

Wordless Birds

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Interesting Things – Dragonfly

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Thinking

Here is an interesting video fromYouTube.com – Exploration Films about the Dragonflies. It is very interesting.

Dragonfly by Phil Kwong

Dragonfly by Phil Kwong

Learning from the Dragonfly by Creation Moments

“Scientists studying the dragonfly are learning even more secrets of flight. Our best high-performance aircraft can barely lift themselves off the ground. However, the dragonfly can lift 15 times his own weight into the air.”

The Amazing Mosquito Hawk by Creation Moments

But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this?
(Job 12:7-9 KJV)

More articles from Creation Moments:

100 Foot Ferns “dragonflies had wingspans of six feet”

The Pre-Flood Atmosphere “dragonflies were the size of hawks”

From Creation Ministries International:

“Dragonflies

Dragonflies are probably the most beautiful of the flying insects. There are about 4,500 different varieties. They begin their life in water, where eggs hatch into rather ugly brown nymphs. The time spent living in water varies from a few weeks to several years, but for all the varieties the day comes when the nymph suddenly has the urge to climb out of the water. It sits for a while at the top of a piece of grass until its skin splits open and out comes a dragonfly! After waiting for its wings to become firm and dry, the dragonfly flies away, its lovely colours glinting in the sunshine.

Although they are very small, dragonflies are wonderfully designed for flying. Their two pairs of wings are very light, but strengthened by a network of tiny veins, which not only carry blood fluid to keep the wings stiff, but also nerves and oxygen. Some dragonflies beat their wings 40 times in one second! Dragonflies are like tiny helicopters—they can even fly backwards! In fact, Igor Sikorsky, who first designed helicopters, for the idea from watching dragonflies.

Dragonfly by QuyTran

Dragonfly by QuyTran

Another wonderful thing about dragonflies is their eyes. Each pair of eyes is actually made up of as many as 30,000 separate eyes, each with its own lens! This enables the insect to see what is happening over a wide area, and spot every tiny movement without moving its head.

The supposedly oldest fossil dragonflies are just like dragonflies are now, except that they were much larger—75 centimeters (2.5 feet) from wing-tip to wing-tip! So there is no evidence that they evolved from ancestors without wings. And surely those amazing eyes did not evolve? Dragonflies are another of the many wonders of God’s creation!” From Our World (Answers for Kids.)

Astonishing acrobatics – dragonflies – by Johathan Sarfati

(Updated 4/29/09)

Dragonflies and fighter pilots – what can we learn? by Ken Ham

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Originally posted in 2009 – this is a duplicate.

More Interesting Things:

Interesting Things – Dragonflies II

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Bible Birds – Crane’s Introduction

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Crane’s Introduction

Sandhill Cranes and Babies in yard by Lee

Sandhill Cranes and Babies in yard

Even the stork in the heavens knows her times, and the turtledove, swallow, and crane keep the time of their coming, but my people know not the rules of the LORD. (Jeremiah 8:7 ESV)

Cranes are in the Gruidae Family of the Gruiformes Order. At present there are 15 species or members of that family. All of them are called Cranes, except for one member. That is the Brolga which is found in New Guinea and Australia. Cranes are another of the Lord’s creation that I enjoy watching. We are fortunate to be able to see Sandhill Cranes almost daily. Just spotted 18 today across from my backyard and will post an article about it soon.

Brolga(Grusrubicunda) by Ian

Brolga(Grusrubicunda) by Ian

Cranes bear a general resemblance to Herons in that they are long-legged, long-necked birds, but when on the wing, they carry the neck fully extended, a habit which will readily distinguish them from the curved neck Herons. Cranes are less aquatic than Herons and are often found feeding on the prairies or pine-barrens where worms, grasshoppers, lizards, roots, etc., form their fare. They nest on the ground laying two buffy eggs thickly marked with brown. The young, unlike the nearly naked, helpless young of Herons, are born covered with down and can soon follow their parents. The Cranes have loud sonorous voices; the Herons raucous croaks.

Sandhill Crane from Color Key to North American Birds, by Frank M. Chapman

Sandhill Crane from Color Key to North American Birds, by Frank M. Chapman

They have the hind-toe elevated, that is, leaving the foot at a higher level than the front toes; tail short; legs usually long. All fly with the neck extended, a fact by which Cranes in flight may be known from Herons. (Color Key to North American Birds, by Frank M. Chapman)

Cranes are a Bible Bird and appear in two verses, the one above (Jeremiah 8:7) and in the following verse:

Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter: I did mourn as a dove: mine eyes fail with looking upward: O LORD, I am oppressed; undertake for me. (Isaiah 38:14 KJV)

A Sandhill Crane call. Does it sound like a chatter?

(From xeno.canto)

Cranes construct platform nests in shallow water, and typically lay two eggs at a time. Both parents help to rear the young, which remain with them until the next breeding season.

Cranes migrate (travel to a warmer climate in winter) as mention in Jeremiah 8:7. Here is a photo of Common Cranes in Israel gathered together.

Common Cranes in Israel. Many species of crane gather in large groups during migration and on their wintering grounds ©WikiC

Common Cranes in Israel. Many species of crane gather in large groups during migration and on their wintering grounds ©WikiC

Cranes are one of the tallest flying birds, but more on that in another Bible Birds article.

See:

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Wordless Birds
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