Page 18 - Amazing Creations Volume Two

Amazing Creations 41

Richard Gunther

Flamingoes feed on algae, a plant that lives in water.

In deeper waters the bird has such long legs it simply skims the
surface with its beak, but in shallow water, the flamingo's long
neck bends towards the bird so the beak is upside down.

Inside the beak is an amazing algea-gathering design.
For starters, the beak itself is shaped like two canoes, which fit
together perfectly with a small gap between.
Down the centre of this gap the tongue moves, pumping at a rate
of up to 17 strokes a second.
As the tongue pumps upwards, it draws water in, and pulls it
through what look like neat rows of thousands of fine hairs, or
needle-tips.
These hairs lie flat for the incoming water, but stand up as the pump
pushes the water out again.

Without this efficient pump and beak system, the flamingo could
not harvest enough algae to survive. Obviously, the flamingo
could not design such a pump itself, so where did it come from?

The answer is in Genesis.
God designed birds on day five of creation week.
It was His idea to make algae (al-jee) and His design to make
flamingoes with their marvellous beaks.