Page 104 - Devotion Among Animals Revealing the Work of God

DEVOTION AMONG ANIMALS

the entrance to the intestine. Fish bones and other indigestible matter
are caught there, preventing damage to the delicate lining of the
stomach and intestinal walls. This habit of eating feathers will con-
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tinue throughout the bird's life.
In some species like the European kingfisher, the mother bird
dives into the water at great speed and catches fish by the tail for her
offspring. There is an important reason for her to catch them by their
tails, because when caught like this, they can be fed to the young
birds headfirst, so that the fins lie flat and do not stick in the young
birds' gullets when they swallow the fish. If however the adult bird
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catches the fish just any which way, it will swallow the fish itself.

The Guacharo Bird that Travels Miles
to Feed Its Young
This species builds its nest at a height of 20 meters (65 feet). It
will forage five or six times a night to gather fruit for its young. First
it chews up the fruit, then feeds its young with the pulp.
The guacharo flies in flocks to search for food and covers an ex-
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traordinary distance of 25 kilometers (15 miles) a night.
Like the guacharo, many
other animal species will pre-
pare food before feeding it to
their young. Pelicans, for in-
stance, prepare a sort of "fish
soup." Shearwaters prepare a
rich oil from the fish and
plankton they ingest. In their
crops, pigeons secrete a sub-
stance called "pigeon's milk"
that is rich in fats and pro-
teins. Unlike mammals, both
male and female pigeons The guacharo bird.

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