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John Clayton
Living in the North and spending
as much time as possible in the
out-of-doors, I have always noticed and
been intrigued by how many birds
stay in our area through bitterest
cold and heaviest snow and ice.
Hiking through the woods in 20
below weather, I see hundreds
of chickadees, kinglets, crows,
owls, and other birds all
looking healthy and apparently
thriving in the bitter
weather. As scientists study
bird behavior in these cold climates, we find an incredible number of
different methods are employed to beat the cold.
Many birds like the grouse will dive into snow drifts and spend the coldest periods under two feet of snow where the temperature is 6O degrees F higher than the outside temperatures. Many birds like pheasants and turkeys have counter-current heat exchange systems in their legs in which the arteries run alongside the veins. The returning cold venous blood is warmed by the arterial blood so much less heat is lost. An interesting heat conservation system is involved in the roosting patterns of birds. Birds frequently nest in groups, but these groups are not just random accumulations. The birds approach a nesting tree, making calls as they approach. Mating pairs will nestle up to each other instantly, as will siblings. The birds in the center hunch up with their bills pointed up. Birds on the edges hold their heads to the side. Even just having three birds in this arrangement reduces heat losses by 37%. Another method of surviving cold weather in birds is their eating behavior. Studies on chickadees have shown that at the start of a day, they will have no body fat at all but, by the end of the day, there are layers of fat layered in the sternum to be turned into heat. Many birds shiver to activate the heat production process. Some lower their body temperature to reduce the heat losses. Some owls even crouch on a frozen carcass, ussing their body heat to thaw out their food. The importance of life continuing even during cold periods is obvious. The ingenious ways that living things survive and prosper in the cold speak of planning and design. Trial and error does not work for these cases because error means death. We can know there is a God through the things He has made. (Romans 1:19-23).
This article taken from: Does God Exist?, Nov/Dec 1995 |
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