Page 58 - Design in Nature

56 DESIGN IN NATURE

PERFECT FLIGHT TECHNIQUES
From albatrosses to vultures, all birds have been
created equipped with flying techniques that make use of winds.

Since flying consumes a lot of energy, birds have been created with
powerful breast muscles, large hearts and light skeletons. The evidence of
superior creation in birds does not end with their bodies. Many birds have
been inspired to use methods that decrease the energy required.
The kestrel is a wild bird that is well-known in Europe, Asia and Africa.
It has a special ability: it can maintain its head in a perfectly still position in

the air by facing the wind. Though its body may sway in the wind, its head
remains motionless, which increases the excellence of its vision in spite of all
the motion. A gyroscope, which is used to stabilise the weaponry of
battleships at sea, works very similarly. This is why scientists usually label

the bird's head "a gyro-stabilised head". 22

Timing Techniques
Birds regulate their hunting schedules for optimum efficiency. Kestrels
like to feed on rats. Rats typically live underground and surface every two
hours to feed. Kestrels' feeding coincides with the rats'. They hunt during

the day but eat their kill at night. Therefore, during the day, they fly on
empty stomachs with less weight. This method cuts down the energy
required. It has been calculated that the bird saves about 7% energy this
way. 23