Birds

I sat inside my hot car one summer afternoon, willing my air conditioning to kick in, when I spotted a common grackle hopping around looking for something to snack on.

(I'm convinced grackles are probably the goofiest birds out there, which is crazy to say, considering they're in competition with budgies and burrowing owls.)

I watched the silly bird with his glossy black wings and long tail as he hopped along with probably very little thoughts going through his head, and thought about how many species of birds there are. There are colorful ones and plain ones, birds that migrate thousands of miles every year, and birds of prey that can dive up to 200 mph to catch their prey. There are birds that can imitate human speech and even the noises made by machines!

It made me think about how creative God really is, to create so many kinds of birds, each one adapted to its own environment, with its own rituals and complexity. Much like human fingerprints, not one feather is like another. It makes me wonder if God watches the birds and laughs at them like I do. After all, He does feed and care about the sparrows. And I'm sure that each bird, no matter how silly, declares the works of God's hands.

So, to honor God, and declare the works of His hands, here are some random fun bird facts!

1. Some birds look exactly the same, but may, in fact, be two different species, which is why scientists agree that the total number of bird species may be more than 10,000. (Source: How Many Birds are in the World?)
2. Even though they are direct descendants of dinosaur, all birds are warm-blooded. (Source: If birds are dinosaurs, why aren't they cold-blooded?)
3. Crows hold funerals for their dearly departed, but not for the reason you think. (Source: Crow Funerals and What We Can Learn From Them)
4. Certain birds, like hummingbirds, eat more in proportion to its body weight than a cat or a human baby, eating twice its body weight daily. (Source: How Much do Birds Eat Each Day?)
5. Pigeons never forget a face. Remember that before calling them rats with wings. (Source: Pigeons Recognize Human Faces)