Wonders of Creation in Common Birds

In the 1975 movie Jaws, the Matt Hooper character praised evolution, adding how sharks are machines that swim, eat, and make little sharks. Something similar can be said about the house sparrow: they eat, fuss at each other, chirp, chitter, fly, make little sparrows, eat more... Winged pigs.

Some of the common birds in New York, Michigan, and the like are visually boring at first glance. Their details are found when looking more closely, even sparrows and unappreciated crows. However, the mental abilities of birds have been surprising to scientists.

House sparrow, Pexels / Skyler Ewing (cropped), Renoir style added at LunaPic

Some birds found at the feeder are the House Finch (with a song I call "happy to be a birdie"), White-Breasted Nuthatch, Northern Cardinal, and the Black-Capped Chickadee. This last one is a keeper. No, not for yourself. It keeps seeds  — and remembers where they are stashed. Scientists are puzzled by such memory in that tiny brain.

Hummingbirds are marvels of the Master Engineer's work, and one aspect of that is the state of torpor. They have a very high metabolism, but they regulate torpor (when their metabolisms slow down and they seem almost dead). Meanwhile, crows are known to be extremely intelligent. They show recursion thinking (recognizing paired elements for problem solving) better than monkeys.

It is a pleasant surprise to find research that doesn't seek Darwin's blessing for the most part; evolutionary thinking is unnecessary in science. Unfortunately, they did not give the Creator his due, but what do we expect? Read all about the little chirpers at "Common Birds Astound Scientists." Meanwhile, I see the sparrows pigging out at the hanging suet feeder that isn't intended for them. Hairy Woodpecker swoops in on it and sparrows scatter. Tee hee.