Annie's Bird Page


"Where the birds make their nests: [as for] the stork,
the fir trees [are] her house."
~Psalm 104:17~

National Bird Day is January 5th Each Year!


What does the Bible say about "Birds?"

Bird Bible Verses
There are 14 verses with "bird" and verse with 25 verses with "birds".

"The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing [of birds]
is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;"
~Song of Solomon 2:12~


Torrey's Topical Textbook
Birds

  • Created by God - Genesis 1:20,21 & Genesis 2:19
  • Created for the glory of God - Psalms 148:10
  • Herb of the field given as food to - Genesis 1:30
  • Differ in flesh from beasts and fishes - 1 Corinthians 15:39
  • Power over given to man - Genesis 1:26 & Psalms 8:8
  • Names given to, by Adam - Genesis 2:19,20
  • Instinctively fear man - Genesis 9:2
  • Instinct of, inferior to man's reason - Job 35:11
  • Lessons of wisdom to be learned from - Job 12:7
  • Can all be tamed - James 3:7
  • Given as food to man - Genesis 9:2,3
  • The blood of, not to be eaten - Leviticus 7:26
  • The property of God - Psalms 50:11
  • God provides for - Psalms 104:1-12; Matthew 6:26 & Luke 12:23,24
  • Often suffered for man's sin - Genesis 6:7; Jeremiah 12:4; Ezekiel 38:20; Hosea 4:3
  • Solomon wrote the history of - 1 Kings 4:33
  • Confinement of, in cages alluded to - Jeremiah 5:27
  • No likeness of, to be made for worship - Deuteronomy 4:17
  • Often worshipped by idolaters - Romans 1:23
  • Many kinds of, graniverous - Matthew 13:4
  • Many kinds of, carnivorous - Genesis 15:11; Genesis 40:19 & Deuteronomy 28:26
  • Furnished with claws - Daniel 4:33
  • Propagated by eggs - Deuteronomy 22:6 & Jeremiah 17:11
  • Make, and dwell in nests - Matthew 8:20
  • Are hostile to strange kinds - Jeremiah 12:9
  • Have each their peculiar note or song - Psalms 104:12; Ecclesiastes 12:4 & Solomon 2:12
  • Fly above the earth - Genesis 1:20
  • Rapid flight of, alluded to - Isaiah 31:5 & Hosea 9:11 & Hosea 11:11
  • Many kinds of, migratory - Jeremiah 8:7
  • Often remove from places suffering calamities - Jeremiah & 4:25 & Jeremiah 9:10
  • Rest on trees - Daniel 4:12 & Matthew 13:32
  • Not to be eaten with their young - Deuteronomy 22:6,7
  • Taken in snares or nets - Proverbs 1:17

INHABIT
Mountains - Psalms 50:11
Deserts - Psalms 102:6
Marshes - Isaiah 14:23
Deserted Cities - Isaiah 34:11,14,15

MAKE THEIR NESTS
In trees - Psalms 104:17 & Ezekiel 31:6
On the ground -
Deuteronomy 22:6
In clefts of rocks -
Numbers 24:21 & Jeremiah 48:28
In deserted cities - Isaiah 34:15
Under the roofs of houses - Psalms 84:3

CALLED
Fowls of the air - Genesis 7:3
Fowls of heaven - Job 35:11
Feathered fowl - Ezekiel 39:17
Winged fowl - Deuteronomy 4:17
Birds of the air - Matthew 8:20


Birds in the Bible are categorized in two groups.
Clean & Unclean!
This tells us whether the bird is safe and fit to eat or not.


ILLUSTRATIVE
Of cruel and rapacious kings - Isaiah 46:11
Of hostile nations -
Jeremiah 12:9
Of people of different countries -
Ezekiel 31:6 & Matthew 13:32
Of unsettled person -
Proverbs 27:8 & Isaiah 16:2
Of the devil and his spirits -
Matthew 13:4,19
(Snaring,) of death -
Ecclesiastes 9:12
(Snaring,) of designs of the wicked -
Psalms 124:7; Proverbs 1:10-17 & Proverbs 7:23
Early distinguished into clean and clean
- Genesis 8:20

CLEAN Birds:
Dove - Genesis 8:8
Turtle -
Leviticus 14:22 & Solomon 2:12
Pigeon -
Leviticus 1:14 & Leviticus 12:6
Quail -
Exodus 16:12,13 & Numbers 11:31,32
Sparrow -
Leviticus 14:4 & Matthew 10:29-31
Swallow -
Psalms 84:3 & Isaiah 38:14
Cock and Hen -
Matthew 23:37 & Matthew 26:34,74
Partridge
- 1 Samuel 26:20 & Jeremiah 17:11
Crane - Isaiah 38:14 & Jeremiah 8:7
To be eaten - Deuteronomy 14:11,20
Offered in sacrifice
- Genesis 8:20 & Leviticus 1:14

UNCLEAN Birds:
Eagle - Leviticus 11:13 & Job 39:27
Ossifrage -
Leviticus 11:13
Osprey -
Leviticus 11:13
Vulture - Leviticus 11:14; Job 28:7 & Isaiah 34:15
Glede - Deuteronomy 14:13
Kite - Leviticus 11:14
Raven - Leviticus 11:15 & Job 38:41
Owl - Leviticus 11:16 & Job 30:29
Nighthawk - Leviticus 11:16
Cuckoo - Leviticus 11:16
Hawk - Leviticus 11:17 & Job 39:26
Little owl - Leviticus 11:17
Cormorant - Leviticus 11:17 & Isaiah 34:11
Great owl -
Leviticus 11:17
Swan - Leviticus 11:18
Pelican - Leviticus 11:18 & Psalms 102:6
Gier Eagle -
Leviticus 11:18
Stork - Leviticus 11:19 & Psalms 104:17
Heron - Leviticus 11:19
Lapwing - Leviticus 11:19
Bat - Leviticus 11:19 & Isaiah 2:20
Ostrich - Job 39:13,18
Bittern - Isaiah 14:23 & Isaiah 34:11
Peacock - 1 Kings 10:22 & Job 39:13
Not to be eaten - Leviticus 11:13,17 & Deuteronomy 14:12


Why Birds Migrate?
"Each year with great regularity most species of birds return to their summer homes, court and choose their mates, build their nests, lay eggs, and rear their young. In the late summer and fall they acquire their new plumage. Then they join with others of their kind in large or small flocks, feeding and storing up fat in their bodies. Thus they prepare for the hardships of winter, whether they are to remain in the cold northlands or make a strenuous journey to the south.

While scientists have much to learn about bird migration, they think they know some of the reasons birds feel the need to migrate: chemical changes inside their bodies, changes in weather, and changes in day length.

Once they get moving, how do birds know where to go? In some species, very young birds find their way to places their parents have been migrating to for years, even though they have never been there before and their parents don't help them!

Many scientists think that birds are born with a sense of direction that tells them where to go, and that birds use the sun, moon, and stars to figure out where they are, much like early sailors did."

Winter Feeding of Birds

"Winter is not only the best time to feed birds--it is the most necessary time. It is then that insects, seeds, and berries are hard to find. Feeding is most important after ice storms and heavy snowfalls have covered natural food supplies. If feeding is begun it must be kept up until spring. Birds become dependent on a food tray. They may suffer or even die if feeding is stopped in midwinter.

Hang feeders out of reach of squirrels and night prowlers, such as opossums and raccoons. These wild animals should have their own feeders on the ground. Bird feeders can be protected by metal guards or hung from the end of a branch. Squirrels are expert tightrope walkers. Hanging a feeder from a wire between two trees will not keep squirrels away. Sparrows and juncos prefer to feed on the ground. Scatter their food at the base of a tree. Birds feed most frequently in the morning and evening."

The Hobby of Bird Study

"Bird-watching is a hobby that can be enjoyed for a lifetime. In bird clubs the membership ranges in age from young children to grandparents. Bird study is anything you want to make of it. It may take hard work--wading through swamps, pushing across pathless fields, and scrambling up and down mountainsides. Or it may also be enjoyed by just looking from a window.

Bird study can combine healthful outdoor activity with the pursuit of beauty and knowledge. Every bird when it is seen for the first time brings a thrill of discovery. The spring migration is a fresh wonder every year. The surprise and delight of coming across a rarity and the very difficulty of keeping it in view long enough to be sure of what it is help to make bird study an endless fascination.

With a field guide and binoculars, you can carry the hobby of bird study wherever you go. Vacations are enriched with the observation of species not to be found in your home territory. Many soldiers sent to far parts of the world have become acquainted with the birds of Iceland, Korea, Germany, or other countries where they were stationed."


How to Study Birds
"The only equipment necessary for bird study is a field guide with good color pictures, and a pair of binoculars. Some bird watchers also carry along a good camera, with color film, in case the opportunity presents itself to get pictures.

Some birders want to develop a life list of many hundreds of species, which requires good binoculars. Even the best of unaided eyes cannot see the fine points that determine difficult identifications of species that look alike.

The color and markings of a bird's plumage--its field marks--are learned first. Many birds can also be recognized by their shapes as they perch and fly. The way a bird flies and the way it acts help to identify it. For example, five different thrushes are seen during migration in the north-central United States. You know a hermit thrush by the nervous way it raises and lowers its tail. A flock of goldfinches high in the air can be identified by its roller-coaster flight pattern.

It is not always necessary, however, to see all of the bird. Many birds have flash marks that identify them. A robin-sized bird with a very conspicuous white rump is undoubtedly a flicker. A small slate-gray bird with white outer tail feathers is a junco. A brown sparrow with white outer tail feathers is the vesper sparrow."


How to Study Bird Songs
"Bird songs should be learned at the same time as the field marks. Knowledge of songs not only enriches the hobby but makes identification much easier. Some migrating birds can be safely identified only by their songs. The alder, least, and Acadian flycatchers are so much alike that they are almost impossible to distinguish in the field. Their songs, however, are totally different.

It is fun to be able to make a list of identifications of species you have recognized by ear only. For example, on a long automobile trip when you do not have the opportunity to hike, you can list all the birds you hear along the road. Birding by ear is a hobby that can also be taken up by the blind.

While you are learning a new song you have to track down the singer. This can be slow and discouraging. Sparrows, always sensitive to trespassers, flip through tall grasses and show themselves so briefly that the beginner has the greatest difficulty in getting all the field marks. Warblers move swiftly through the tops of high trees. Persistence is often a requirement for some aspects of bird-watching.

One of the simplest ways to learn bird songs is to listen to recordings. Play them many times during the winter so you will recognize them when you first hear them in the spring."


Some Common Questions About Birds
Source: Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia.

What is the largest living bird? The ostrich, at more than 8 feet (2 meters) and 345
pounds (155 kilograms), is the tallest and heaviest, but it does not fly. Of the flying
birds the wandering albatross has the greatest wingspan at over 11 feet (3 meters); the
great bustard, at 46 pounds (21 kilograms), and the mute swan, at 30 pounds (13.6
kilograms), are the heaviest flying birds.
What is the smallest living bird? The Cuban bee hummingbird, at 2 1/4 inches
(6 centimeters) and 0.07 ounce (2 grams).
How far do birds fly? The arctic tern makes an annual round-trip of 11,000 miles (17,700
kilometers) between the Arctic and the Antarctic. Warblers make the longest, more than
2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers), nonstop flights.

How fast do birds fly? Most birds average 20 to 40 miles (32 to 64 kilometers) per hour
in normal flight. They can almost double this speed for escape or pursuit. The champion is
the peregrine falcon. It strikes its prey while diving at an average of 112 miles
(180 kilometers) per hour.
How fast do birds run? The ostrich, 60 miles (97 kilometers) per hour; wild turkey, 30
miles (48 kilometers) per hour; California roadrunner, 26 miles (42 kilometers) per hour;
common pheasant, 21 miles (34 kilometers) per hour.
How high do birds fly? The highest flying bird in the world is Ruppell's griffon vulture, a
specimen of which collided with a commercial aircraft at 37,000 feet (11,300 meters)
over Western Africa. Another notable specimen is the whooper swan, which a pilot spotted
flying at 27,000 feet (8,200 meters) over the Inner Hebrides.
How long do birds live? The wild bird with the longest recorded lifespan is the royal
albatross, which exceeds 58 years. The wandering albatross, however, is suspected to live
more than 80 years in the wild. The longest-lived captive bird is the sulfur-crested
cockatoo, which can live more than 80 years. Some general figures are available.
Which are the most intelligent birds? The green heron shows a remarkable ability to learn
to respond to sight and sound cues. Members of the family Corvidae--crows, ravens,
jackdaws, magpies, jays--appear to learn rapidly as well.
How many kinds of birds are there in the world? About 30,000 varieties, divided into
some 8,600 to 8,900 species.

Bird Links

And you can go bird watching right in your own backyard.
Well that is if you live in the South.



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