Bird Beaks

I think long before anyone had what could rightly be described as a proper spoon - that is, something intentionally carved out of wood or ivory or forged out of metal and not just a random stick for scooping mush - the spoonbill bird had a spoon…in the form of a bill. It is laughably tremendous how often we self-aggrandize our inventions as uniquely new creations when in actuality we are merely copying what the Creator has already done; we are re-creating, or even recreating. We can’t create. We can only use what has been created to smash together into new forms or for new uses. It is indelible how often God gives us fanciful ideas in his design, sometimes clues, sometimes hints, and often nearly everything but the blueprint. Spoons are for scooping, and that’s just what the spoonbill does with his. The sandpiper bird uses his beak to pipe into the sand and find tasty morsels of mussels and clams. The woodpecker uses his to bore massive holes into trees looking for termites and grubworms, and his beak comes fully outfitted with an enormous tongue that acts as a giant shock absorber for the incredible force from the incessant pounding of head against a tree; yet another design we’ve copied in some fashion. The pelican uses his to really, really scoop up water, with some fish. The crane uses his to go spearfishing. The kingfisher…to fish from the air, like a king…you might even call it fly-fishing! Darwin was almost right, and yet completely wrong. Finches can adapt over generations to match their beak length to how deep the food is into the tree. However, finches can’t become spoonbills. Finches don’t need spoons for bills. How would they peck the bugs out of the tree?