Page 53 - Design in Nature

Flawless Flying Machines: Birds 51

even a few minutes. Therefore, the creature simply would not have millions
of years to wait for random mutations to save its life.
The unique structure of the avian lung demonstrates the presence of a
perfect design that supplies the high levels of oxygen required for flight. It
only takes a little bit of a common sense to see that the unparalleled anatomy
of birds is not an arbitrary result of unconscious mutations. It is clear that the
lungs of a bird are another of the countless evidences that all creatures have
been created by Allah.

3-The System of Balance

Allah has created birds without flaw just as He has the rest of the
creation. This fact is manifest in every detail. The bodies of birds have been
created to a special design that removes any possible imbalance in flight. The
bird's head has been deliberately created light in weight so that the animal
does not lean forward during flight: on average, a bird's head weight is
about 1% of its body weight.
The aerodynamic structure of the feathers is another property of the
system of balance in birds. The feathers, especially in the wing and tail,
provide a very effective system of balance for the bird.
These features ensure that a falcon maintains absolute balance while
diving for its prey at a speed of 240 mph (384 km/h).

4- The Power and Energy Problem
Every process in the form of a sequence of events, i.e. in biology,

chemistry or physics, conforms to the "Principle of the Conservation of
Energy". In short, one can summarise this as "it takes a certain amount of
energy to get a certain work done".
A significant example of this conservation can be observed in flight of
birds. Migrating birds have to store enough energy to take them through
their trip. On the other hand, another necessity in flight is being as light as
possible. No matter what the results, extra weight has to be done away with.
In the meantime, the fuel has also to be as efficient as possible. In other