How birds teach their chicks to fly. Scientists of the past strove for truth; then there were those who were hungry for fame; today's scientists are hungry for salaries. What impersonates a fledgling

No wonder they say about some girls: an eagle .... The eagle is a proud bird, and also smart. Here is clear evidence, even if it is the result of evolution, instinct and natural selection. However, no one knows what a bird has in its head when it .... breaks off a twig from a tree, rises to a great height and, with a twig in its beak, begins to circle. Finally, male eagles appear, she throws this branch and looks down. Some eagle picks up this branch with its beak on the fly and brings it to the female, passing it from beak to beak.

The eagle throws this branch down again, the male catches it again and brings it to her, and she throws it again ... This is repeated many times. If the eagle picks up the branch every time, the female makes her choice, and they mate. Why she threw a branch, it will become clear later.

High on a rock, together they make a nest of hard rods, after which they begin to tear out fluff and feathers from their beaks. With this fluff and feathers they line the nest, make it soft and warm. In such a soft and warm nest, the eagle lays her eggs. Then they incubate the chicks. When the eaglets appear (they are born naked and weak), the parents cover them with their bodies until they get stronger, shield them with wings from the rain, from the scorching sun, bring them food. Chicks grow, they have feathers, wings and tail grow stronger. And now they have finally fledged, although they are still inexperienced kids.

Then the father sits on the edge of the nest and begins to beat on it with his wings and shake the nest. For what? In order to knock out all the feathers and fluff, so that only a rigid frame of branches remains, which they wove at the very beginning. And the chicks are sitting in this hard nest, they are uncomfortable, they do not understand what happened. At the same time, the mother flies somewhere and returns with the fish. She sits down about five meters from the nest so that the chicks can see her, and begins to eat this fish. Chicks yell, squeak, because before their parents fed them, took care of them.

Now the nest has become hard, and the parents eat the fish themselves, but they are not fed. And then the chicks begin to fall out of the nest. The nest is located on a sheer cliff so that no predators get there. When the eaglet falls out, it is still quite clumsy, it does not know how to fly. He breaks off a steep slope and flies into the abyss.

And then dad (the one who used to catch twigs) rushes headlong down and catches this eaglet on his back, preventing it from breaking, and on his back he raises it again into the nest,

All this is repeated many times. The chicks fall and the father catches them. Among the eagles, not a single eagle is broken.

And at some point in the fall, the eaglet begins to do what it has never done before: it spreads its wings in the wind, and, having fallen into the air stream, begins to fly.

This is how eagles teach their young. As soon as the chick begins to fly on its own, the parents take it with them and teach it to fish. They no longer carry it in his beak.

No wonder the female chooses the male by throwing a twig. She doesn't want her children to break. You choose a careless dad without checking, and then you don’t count the children ...

Eagles already have few chicks, one or two.

And eagles are very faithful birds, they create a couple for life. Some ornithologists have discovered a pair of eagles that have lived together for more than thirty-five years.

In May-July, the chicks leave the nests, learn to fly and live independently. "Akhova birdie Batskaushchyny" receives dozens of calls every day: "I have a chick in my hands!". Ornithologists explain why it is not necessary to "help" babies.

Chicks “fall” from nests onto branches or onto the ground. This is a natural process, educational. "Study" takes place in the nesting area, where parents continue to patronize and feed the chicks.

How to recognize a fledgling?

Fledglings, as a rule, are not yet fully fledged, their flight and tail feathers are partially in tubules, and owl chicks leave the nest altogether while still in downy plumage. In passerine birds, the edges of the beak are decorated with yellow rollers. They don't quite look like their parents. Often this is the reason why people take away a “sick” or “underdeveloped” bird. In fact, the chick is fine.

How does a fledgling pretend to be?

• The chick may have fluff sticking out on its head or back;
• Short tail, as if "bitten";
• Flight and tail feathers are partly tubular;
• At the edges of the beak is decorated with yellow rollers.

I found a fledgling: what should I do?

Please don't do anything! If you see a fledgling in the wild (in a forest, in a field, near a pond), move away and do not cause stress for the chick and its parents.

If you see a fledgling in the city, then rate the place as dangerous / non-dangerous. If there is a roadway, a path, a dog walking area or a playground nearby, then it is better to carefully move the chick (not far!), to the nearest bushes or trees, plant it on a branch: parents will find it, but "people-rescuers" - no. Do this only in the most dangerous places for birds, and very carefully: during the chase, the bird is stressed, and people can damage its still fragile bones or tear out its tail. Don't try to feed the bird.

If you have already taken such a bird home, return it to the same place where you took it as soon as possible. It is advisable to put the chick on a branch, throw it on the porch visor or the roof of the garage, so that a dog or a cat does not find it by your smell.

Remember! Removal of birds from the wild is prohibited, and you may be held administratively liable.

Memo from the Russian Bird Conservation Union (SOPR)

Already in the egg, they recognize the voices of their parents. Other skills necessary for life - from the simple ability to eat to singing - they acquire after birth.
How chicks learn to sing
Young male passerine birds begin to sing immediately after birth. But in order for the real voices of birds to sound, the singing organs and the muscles that control them must be fully developed, and this takes some time. Young males usually listen carefully to the parents' simplified song and learn this "version" first. In the spring, they themselves begin to sing and constantly improve the song by listening and repeating the voices of other males. But birds become "masters" in this matter only next year.
The male finch, reared separately from other birds of its kind, and who has never heard their voices, also tries to sing, but his singing is not like the typical song of a finch. In general, the songs of all finches differ slightly depending on where the birds live. These differences persist as young males adopt a typical song from their parents with elements of the local "dialect". Other types of birds also learn the same singing. Australian lyrebird, listening to the singing of other bird species, consisting of fragments of other people's melodies own song. He lives in impenetrable thickets and requires a rich repertoire to attract the attention of a female. The same is observed in other species. For example, in the songs of blackbirds and great tits, motifs of birds that nest nearby, and other sounds that they hear around, for example, even the whistle of a steam locomotive, appear. The chicks of all songbirds are constantly listening and trying to imitate the sounds that surround them. Chicks must learn the most important things, like all animals: to distinguish food suitable for them from unsuitable, friends from enemies, parents from other members of the species, important information from unimportant. Gradually, they also learn to adapt to changes in their environment.
FIRST LESSONS
The mechanism of early learning, or imprinting (display), was discovered and described by the Austrian doctor, author of ethology Konrad Lorenz. Ethology is a branch of zoopsychology that studies the behavior of animals in natural conditions.
Ducklings learn to recognize their mother's voice while still in the egg. Her croaking for chicks that have just hatched was a signal that it distinguished the parents. The mother is the first thing a duckling sees when it hatches from an egg. This image is reflected in his memory and remains in it for life, as a symbol of the female. Goslings remember NOT sounds, but movements. Therefore, the symbol of the mother for them can be other types of animals, a person, and even an object, if this is the first large moving object that they see after hatching. Imprinting helps the chicks remember the image of the mother as a protector and source of food. Here are the first driving lessons, this is a test of fear and knowledge of traffic rules.
SKILLS
If a bird of prey flies over the goslings, they scatter and hide in the grass. Soon the children realize that, for example, a goose is not a threat, and in this case they stop hiding.

EXPERIENCE LEARNING
Chicks are naturally very inquisitive. They explore their surroundings and gain certain skills that will later help them better remember and use everything that is around them. This is especially important for migratory birds, which, returning from warmer climes, must find nesting sites. Carrier pigeons have a good memory. They easily find their dovecote. Orientation during flight is a very complex phenomenon. If an adult bird is moved to a place remote from the path of its flights, then it will find its way home without any problems.

USE OF EXPERIENCE
By trial and error, chicks learn very quickly not to get into unpleasant or dangerous situations for them. For example, yellow-black caterpillars are very unpleasant in taste. Chicks that have tried it several times will soon stop pecking at a caterpillar (even a harmless one) of the same color. Very small ducklings instinctively peck all small objects out of the ground, even grains of sand. Soon the ducklings learn to distinguish between edible and non-edible items.
Birds strive to learn behaviors that will help them successfully forage and have a positive experience while avoiding trouble. You can teach a pigeon to peck at any object, if you then reward it with food.
In 1921, in England, people first noticed that the blue tit pierced the foil cap on a glass bottle with its beak to get to the delicious cream. When other birds associated this type of behavior with food, they began to act in the same way. This trick has been adopted by other birds. Sometimes they even accompany workers who deliver milk.
LEARNING THROUGH IMITATION
Many things, such as nest building or mating behavior, do not need to be learned by birds - these actions are instinctive. Other actions they learn by following their parents or other adult birds. Sandpipers - magpies open shells of mollusks in two different ways. They break them in the thinnest place or push their beak into the gap and open the shells. Chicks use the same method as their parents.
Myna chicks that people want to learn to talk are taken from the nest until their parents have taught them to make sounds, i.e. whistle or scream. In nature, parrots try to imitate the voice of their partner and thus strengthen the bond between them.

Glory to our Lord! The Lord works wonderfully in His people through the Holy Spirit. I called my sermon today: "The eagles learn to fly." Read the Word of God:

"Like newborn babies, love the pure spiritual milk, so that from it you may grow for salvation" (1 Pet. 2:2).

The Heavenly Father wants us to grow spiritually, so that we grow in salvation. Age is not a trifle, not something unimportant, but something that relates to salvation. Everyone knows that small children tend to grow up faster. In the old days, notches were even made on the door jambs so that the kids could measure how much they had grown. But some, referring to 1 Cor. 3:6, they say that growth does not depend on man, but solely on God. What does 1 Cor. 3:6? "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave rise" . This means that God gives age when there is mutual participation on the part of a person. It is no coincidence that this commandment was given: "but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Pet. 3:18). Let's look at another passage of Scripture to illustrate this idea.

"for part of the Lord is His people, Jacob is His inheritance. He found him in the wilderness, in the mournful and wild steppe, protected him, looked after him, kept him as the apple of his eye; like an eagle calls his nest, hovers over his chicks, He spreads out his wings, takes them and wears them on his feathers, so the Lord alone led him, and there was no foreign god with him.(Deut. 32:9-12).

How does it happen in nature when an eagle, a powerful, strong, fast bird, teaches its chicks to fly? The Word of God says that for this the eagle "raises his nest." Did you pay attention to this expression? What does "summons a nest" mean? While researching this issue, I compared some translations. For example, Luther translated this passage as "the eagle brings out its chicks." In other translations, this place even sounds like an eagle destroying its nest. What does an eagle's nest look like, anyway? It is arranged on a rock, high in the mountains. It is very simple: several branches are laid there, the eagle plucked fluff there, laid eggs and hatched chicks. All this is actually on a bare rock. There the eagles bring food to their chicks. But when the chicks grow up, they already want to get food faster and more. As they age, their appetite develops. Therefore, they step over the edge of the nest and gradually approach the edge of the cliff. They can’t wait for the mother eagle to arrive with another portion of meat. And the eagles see that their chicks have grown up, the wings are already covered with feathers and it’s time for them to fly themselves, they don’t give them food right away, but, as it were, beckon them to themselves. So the chicks are drawn to food, break off the cliff and fly into the abyss. Of course, parents know when chicks can be called from the nest. If the chick has grown, then he definitely needs to train his wings, work with them so that they do not atrophy. Wings are made for flight, not for the chick to sit in a warm nest with everything ready. And now the chick, breaking off the cliff, flies head over heels into the abyss. With the last of his strength, he begins to flutter, spreads his wings and, to his surprise, notices that he is not helpless. Not so bad dad and mom, who, perhaps, provoked them a little for this flight. It turns out that flying is much better than sitting in even the most comfortable nest. He feels that his wings are working, obeying him. Wings carry it. Perhaps he still cannot soar as freely as adult eagles do, but nevertheless he has already tasted the pleasure of heights, felt the taste of freedom. And the other chick turned out to be weaker, quickly got tired, or maybe got scared and, instead of working with wings, folded them and flew down into the abyss. Then the eagle, seeing the trouble that her child might break, folds her wings, flies down like a stone, catches up with the loser and, being under him, spreads her wings and picks up the poor thing. What will be next? the eagle is a very intelligent bird. She does not carry him to the nest and does not cherish, but raises him even higher. The initial height was not enough for him, which means that he needs a greater height so that he has enough time to comprehend and use the wings. She picks it up and drops it again. He again head over heels down. He now has more time, because his subsequent start was higher than the initial one. And the parents are watching how he will work with his wings, because his wings have already fledged. If this time the flight ends in failure, he will be lifted even higher, dropped again, and this will continue until he feels the joy of flying on his own wings.

Which of you, dear ones, would not like to grow spiritually? But many grumble that some troubles occur in their lives. It's good to sit in the congregation when the brothers preach, the sisters greet you, the youth sing to you. But suddenly, for some reason, there is some kind of inconsistency in the family, disorder at work or even in the church. People start to murmur. Is this a church? They want to sit in peace, in fluff, in warmth. When difficulties and frictions occur in the church, such a person becomes perplexed. Or maybe it's better to leave here altogether? Why do I need a church where I am not cherished? Dear soul, may you be cherished and cherished as long as you needed to grow up. You have not noticed that you have already grown wings, and you still want to remain dependent. It's time for you to fly solo. It's time for you to become an adult, and you still remember how good it was when you were swaddled and spoon-fed. All this was pleasant, but developmental delay is the most dangerous thing. Wings without use weaken and become unusable. The process of their death is much more dangerous than the danger of the most unsuccessful flight from a height. Why does Paul say: "For, judging by the time, you should have been teachers; but you again need to be taught the first principles of the word of God, and you need milk, not solid food" (Heb. 5:12).

What are our wings in the spiritual sense? There is a good, cheerful, incendiary Christian song "The wild goose has mighty wings." The incomparable wings of prayer are beautifully described there. The life of a Christian is never smooth, it is not like a train ride. Let's remember David. He pastured sheep, praised God in solitude. Suddenly the people of God went to war. His father sends him to visit the brothers and provide them with food. When David came to the camp and heard how Goliath reproached the army of the Lord and the Lord Himself, zeal flared up in him.

He asks what will happen to the one who defeats this wicked Philistine. And his brothers, hearing such speeches, begin to humiliate him, saying that he has a bad heart, etc. David is descending from a height, as it were, he is neglected. Then the King still invites David to him. His position is rising. After the victory over the giant, his name entered into honor, he is glorified in round dances. Of course, Saul didn't like it. He was consumed by jealousy. How is it that he, the king, was given only thousands in songs, and David tens of thousands? Once! - the position flew from a height and began to drop sharply. Then marriage to Michal, the king's daughter, David went up. Then again persecution, a foreign land. Then the crowning of the kingdom, and then the uprising of Absalom and the civil war, etc. Life goes on like a swing: up - down, up - down. Before you could get up, they threw you into the mud again. When we are on the rise, we rejoice, the heart captures with joy, it is pleasant. And when the swing of the swing goes downhill sharply, the heart stops in the chest, the cry of the soul breaks out: "Where are you, Lord? You always raised me! Where did your love go, in which I bathed?" We are accustomed to imagine the Lord in the form of a rock. It is safe and secure on the rock, there is a soft nest. But let's not forget that the eagle that calls its nest, encouraging its chicks to perform aerobatics in the air, is also the Lord, the Lord Who teaches you and me to grow spiritually, teaches you to trust and put into circulation, and not bury the received spiritual gifts from Him. And the rock is the Lord, and the eagle is also the Lord. We have already well studied and know the Lord as a rock. Everything is pleasant and calm with the rock. And the Lord is like an eagle, a father who teaches chicks to fly, somehow we still know little. It seems to us that the Lord cannot act like this, it seems to us that this is just a misunderstanding. It seems to us that there is no order in the church, that something is wrong with us ourselves ... But the eaglets are simply learning to fly. It is high time to remember that you, sister, were given the wings of faith, you were given the wings of prayer, so that you would not crawl in the mud of doubts, in the swamp of resentment, disappointment and despondency. Learn when you are thrown down so that you spread your wings and fly not down, but up, to God. This is how it happens: When you fly down, you want it, you don’t want it, but you cry out to God. And as soon as we raise our voice to Him, our wings of faith unfold and begin to lift us up from the earthly vanity and mouse fuss of soulfulness, from endless showdowns and trials: this one is not like that, this one said or looked not like that. With the Lord, everything will always be as it should be, everything will be as it should be, everything will be right and beautiful and good. But for this you need to use the wings of faith. This is spiritual growth.

I conclude by reading 1 Peter 1:7: "so that your tried faith may be more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire..." How precious is such a faith that inspires and uplifts us!

We have considered only one aspect of spiritual growth: the growth of faith. It is necessary to grow not only in faith, but in love, in knowledge, in grace. There are various means for spiritual growth, which should be discussed, if God permits. But, of course, our salvation begins with the growth of faith. Snow fell to the ground, and the black earth immediately became white. So the Christian - repented, and already he is wearing white clothes. But as soon as the sun warmed, all the whiteness imperceptibly disappeared. Similarly, trials test the quality of our righteousness: is it only on the surface, has it just laid down in a thin layer, or is it already the righteousness of Christ?

Brothers, sisters! We all want to carry the message of salvation, right? Everyone has heard about the accidents of tankers that carry precious fuel to where it is in dire need, but how many disasters come from them instead of good. I heard an interesting thing about this. To avoid accidents, tankers should be made not single, but double, but they are too lazy to do this, they save money, and in the end it ends in such amazing environmental disasters that no funds are enough to fix them. So are we: if we want to pass on to others this grace, this power of the Spirit, this fire of God’s love to perishing people, then we must be tempered, tested, so that under adverse circumstances we won’t break, lose, spill, like this obsolete tanker, that grace, the power that the Lord has entrusted to us. To do this, we must love trials, we must not complain about them, we must thank God for them, remembering that everything happens to us under His wise supervision. The fall threatens disaster, but He will not let you break. He started this test and will not stop until you feel the saving power of your wings of faith. May all glory be to Him! Amen.

Mikhail Burchak

What is tragic is not that a person dies, but that in a person dies during life.

Albert Schweitzer

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Often in the symbols of any state you can see an eagle. The eagle is a bird to which people have a special relationship. The eagle is considered to be the king of birds; it is one of the largest and strongest birds in the world. Eagles reign in the air due to their speed, strength, power, greatness, devotion, love of freedom and courage, which are generally accepted signs of respect and recognition. And we humans have a lot to learn from this bird.

Every trial of life brings benefits in the form of additional courage, strength, confidence, however, you must stay and face fear in the face. You must do what seems impossible to you.

Eleanor Roosevelt

At the age of three months, eagles begin to learn to fly. If any stubborn chick decides to stay in the nest, then the parents stop delivering food to him and deprive him of home comforts. As a result, hunger forces to make the first flight. Eagles spend a lot of time teaching their offspring to fly. They can push the chick out of the nest and fly after it, picking it up in flight, and carry it further on their own wings.

A person, looking at this example, needs to decide to break the shell, leave the "safety zone" and gain their own experience, taking into account other people's mistakes. And parents need to understand that the main thing in education is their own example. If only because parents are a standard for children. I will try to touch on this topic more than once in the future.

Start brilliantly! And let you have enough time for just one line.
Be majestic, for the crime is not defeat, but low goals.

James Russell Lowell

The eagle uses unfavorable winds for its own purposes. The wings take the blow of the wind at such an angle, which is necessary to soar higher and higher. The bird maneuvers its body and glides in space without the slightest effort, without even flapping its wings.

Everyone faces obstacles in life, and not always, everything turns out the way it should. Probably, those around you will repeat: "You will not succeed ...". There are enough pests around that will prevent you from achieving your goal.

Eagle persistence, there is such an expression. Whether it's pouring rain or hail, a storm rages or a fire breaks out, the eagle will rebuild its nest until it's done its job.

Think of a man like Edison. If he had not continued testing after a thousand failures, perhaps the world would have seen the lamp many centuries later.

In short, he succeeded) A total of 1093 patents, including an electric chair.

What would you do with everything you could want: unlimited time, unlimited money, unlimited access to information, unlimited wisdom, unlimited staff, and so on? The answer to this question forms your dream.

The secret of happiness is not to do the things you love, but to love the things you do.

Duke V

The family life of eagles is unique. A married couple is formed for life, which is rare in the animal kingdom. This speaks of high intelligence and the struggle for the survival of the population through the preservation of the family, and not the thoughtless instinct of reproduction in males, calling for the fertilization of as many females as possible, which is an example for modern society. Family life continues, no matter what the circumstances. Moreover, the birds make a lot of efforts to make their marriage successful. Eagles have adopted courtship procedures that do not stop even after the couple has already formed. These birds continue to care for each other throughout their life together. The eagle not only gives love and attention, but also helps in "household chores". Eagles court each other in the air, where they feel most free. The eagle does various aerial tricks to demonstrate love, shining with strength and dexterity. In general, dumbness is inherent in the eagle, but in such feelings they emit love cries. From time to time, the female drops a branch from her beak; in response to this gesture, the male dives down to catch the falling branch. At the climax, the female turns over on her back in the air, the male flies up to her, the eagles claw each other and begin to rotate, falling to the ground.

People in their families lack such relationships. Most people think that “the problem is not with me, but with him / her”, but this is not so. The problem is in each of us. Many fail to understand that love requires constant fire, or simply forget about it. The fire goes out if there is nothing to burn, so with love. Forgive, condescend, humble yourself, don't wait for him/her to do it, everyone needs to start with themselves. Without this, there can be no peace in the family, as in any society on earth, someone always needs to come to terms and save a couple or a couple of million destinies.

Perhaps the most interesting property of eagles is the special ability to rejuvenate. In the life of every eagle, there are times when it becomes difficult for him to fly. Feathers in the wings make a treacherous whistle when the bird swoops down on its prey. The eagle's claws become dull and limestone formations appear on the beak. It is at such times that the eagle flies high into the mountains. First of all, eagles pluck themselves from unnecessary feathers, some species of eagles pluck themselves completely, and within 40 days (remember this figure, we will study it later) they are overgrown with new feathers. With its beak, the eagle scrapes against the rock, grinding off limestone outgrowths. Having bathed in a mountain river, the eagle is again strong and dangerous in battle. Eagles live up to 100 years.

There are moments in life when we feel exhausted, stale, oppressed, defeated and weak. The people around us and the circumstances of our lives have ruffled our feathers, we are losing faith, and our dreams are falling apart.

Be like eagles! Persistent in achieving the goal.