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Birds (Part I):Structure and Flight

Do they not see the birds committed to fly in the atmosphere of the sky?
None holds them up in the air except God. This should be (sufficient) proof for people who believe. (16:79)

That birds can fly and so efficiently is miraculous. In order to work, such a flying machine must be amazingly lightweight and yet incredibly tough and strong. To take off and maintain flight, the bird can’t be too heavy. Yet to survive the conditions faced in the air and the force of landing, it must be tough so as not to break on impact. These two qualities (lightness and toughness) are exactly how a bird is constructed.

The skeletal framework of a bird is rigidly interconnected with a very sturdy spinal column of fused verte-brae. The neck is strong but incredibly flexible as it must have the strength to support the head (keeping it motion-less when in flight) yet flexible and ready to swing it suddenly in any di-rection, bending far downward or up-ward to spot prey or predators. The number of vertebrae in a bird’s neck varies from long-necked to short-necked birds. This may sound obvi-ous. But a mouse has the same num-ber of cervical vertebrae as a giraffe (seven). Birds have a minimum of 11. Flexibility of the neck is achieved by a system of long bands of muscles and smaller muscles that are perfectly co-ordinated. From the slow turning of an owl’s head to the flash of a heron catching a fish, it’s a masterful ma-chine.

Bones in the bird are hollow and thin-walled for lightness with internal struts for support. All weight is con-centrated toward the center of the bird. At that center is a very large breastbone to which are attached the pectoral muscles, the mighty muscles which drive the wings. Flight muscles may account for 25-30 percent of a bird’s weight, compared to pectoral muscles in the human which weigh less than one percent of total weight. These muscles working to drive the wings build up great heat. To coun-teract this, the bird has the most effi-cient respiratory system of any verte-brate. Rather than a single pair of lungs the bird has a system of air sacs throughout the body even in some of the hollow spaces in the bones. The air is taken in quickly to all important parts of the body and the bird’s faster heartbeat provides rapid circulation.

Good eyesight is an important prereq-uisite of flight. A bird relies more heavily on vision than most animals. In some birds their eyes actually weigh more than their brains. Birds can see distant things as much as eight times more clearly than man can, and they also see close up much better. Most birds have both monocu-lar and binocular vision. They can rely on what one eye sees close up and then count on sharper binocular vi-sion for distances.

Have they not seen the birds above them lined up in columns and spreading their wings? The Most Gracious is the One who holds them in the air. He is Seer of all things. (67:19)

Most important to flight are the wings and feathers. The wing is really an arm with a large ball joint fitting into the socket in the shoulder. This is a specialized joint allowing great mo-bility. The way the bird can rotate as well as flap up and down gives the bird the ability to maneuver, slow down, change direction suddenly and land gracefully.

The feather is a unique and wonderful creation. It’s light yet sturdy, flexible, versatile and easy to care for, provides cushioning, thermal insulation, and is water repellent and replaceable. Bright colored feathers are important in some bird species for attracting a mate and for territorial displays. Some birds have feathers camouflaged like their surroundings to help them hide.

The simple looking feather is actually a very complex mechanism. There is a center shaft attached to the skin. From this project many parallel branches or barbs which in turn bear smaller bar-bules, which are equipped with hooks and barbs. All of these barbs catch in one another like little zippers forming a smooth surface. If the feather is ruf-fled and the connection broken, it’s easily smoothed out and rehooked. On each feather there are millions of these barbules hooking the feather to-gether. When the wings are folded the feathers lie over one another like roof shingles with air spaces between to insulate against heat loss.

With all the bird does, there is con-tinuous wear and tear on the feathers, so they must be replaceable. That’s why birds molt on a regular basis. Molting is a precise process, triggered in the least severe season. The feath-ers are discarded usually in pairs (one from the right side and the corre-sponding one from the left). And never so many that the bird can’t fly, although it may be weakened. To compensate the new feathers grow in very fast.

None holds the birds in the air
except God

God holds them in the air. God gives them the physical construction to fly, the use of wings. They can raise and lower the wings, can move them for-ward or back, they can reduce the wing area, can rotate the wing at the shoulder, can twist the wings. Then God gives them the instincts to know how to do it. Birds don’t study the laws of gravity but they use them. From great heights, they’ll tuck their wings and fall straight down, then pull out the wings to provide resis-tance to slow down and land. They make it look easy.

Hummingbirds can fly backwards. Penguins, who don’t fly, use their wings like a powerful oar to move quickly through the water. Hawks can turn upside down in full flight to catch smaller birds trying to escape, then right themselves and fly on with-out missing a beat.

Birds use the wind with great skill, as if they studied science. Some birds use land drafts to soar and glide, like an eagle using the currents in a canyon. Over water, seabirds are incredibly adept at using drafts. Gulls also have the instinct to use obstacles, like ships, which create extra updrafts. They’ll follow motionless, looking as if they’re tied like a kite on a string.

The structure of the bird and the miracle of flight are signs from God if we choose to see them. This is a proof for people who believe.

God willing, Part II of the "Birds" will cover the incredible phenomenon of migration.

Lydia Kelley