Insulated Blackbirds

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European blackbirds love southern Germany so much that many of them stay for the winter. Some of the blackbirds migrate to North Africa, Spain, or southern France to escape the cold. Like the robin in North America, however, some European blackbirds don't migrate.

European blackbirds are able to live through the cold German winter because they are designed with several features that use sophisticated principles from biochemistry and physics. To cope with the winter cold, the birds fluff up their feathers. This creates more insulating dead air spaces between their warm bodies and the cold. Then they tuck their head inside the feathers making their body into a ball. A round ball is the most heat conserving shape possible for any object. The ball also protects poorly insulated parts of their bodies like feet, legs, and beak.

Food is also more scarce in the winter. On top of that, the birds' need for energy is five times higher at 20 degrees below zero (F) than it is during the summer. The blackbirds reduce their energy needs by lowering their body temperature at night when they are curled into a ball. Scientists have found that, as a result, European blackbirds are in no danger of freezing, even at 20 degrees below (F), as long as they can get enough food!

The intelligent special designs found in the European blackbird reflect a sophisticated knowledge of biochemistry and physics. By its very existence, the European blackbird glorifies our Creator God.