Stitchbird (Notiomystis cincta) by Tom Tarrant
“A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak;” (Ecclesiastes 3:7 NKJV)
Avian and Attributes – Stitch
STITCH, v.t. [G. This is another form of stick.]
1. To sew in a particular manner; to sew slightly or loosely; as, to stitch a collar or wristband; to stitch the leaves of a book and form a pamphlet.
2. To form land into ridges. [N. England.]
To stitch up, to mend or unite with a needle and thread; as, to stitch up a rent; to stitch up an artery.
STITCH, v.i. To practice stitching.
STITCH, n.
1. A single pass of a needle in sewing.
2. A single turn of the thread round a needle in knitting; a link of yarn; as, to let down a stitch; to take up a stitch.
Stitchbird (Notiomystis cincta) female ©Flickr Kathrin -Stefan Marks
“Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.” (Genesis 3:7 NKJV)
The Stitchbird or hihi (Notiomystis cincta) is a rare honeyeater-like bird endemic to the North Island and adjacent offshore islands of New Zealand. It became extirpated everywhere except Little Barrier Island but has been reintroduced to three other island sanctuaries and two locations on the North Island mainland. Its [genealogical] relationships have long puzzled ornithologists, but it is now classed as the only member of its own family, the Notiomystidae.
Stitchbird (Notiomystis cincta) ©Flickr Duncan
The stitchbird is a small honeyeater-like bird. Males have a dark velvety cap and short white ear-tufts, which can be raised somewhat away from the head. A yellow band across the chest separates the black head from the rest of the body, which is grey. Females and juveniles are duller than males, lacking the black head and yellow chest band. The bill is rather thin and somewhat curved, and the tongue is long with a brush at the end for collecting nectar. Thin whiskers project out and slightly forward from the base of the bill.
Sewing has been around since Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden. When the fig leaves were sewed together, they must have used stitches.
[The word stitch is not in the Bible, but sewing is there. I took a bit of liberty with the verses.]
Stitchbird– Wikipedia
Birds whose first or last name starts with “S”
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[Definitions from Webster’s Dictionary of American English (1828), unless noted. Bird info from Wikipedia plus.]
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