Letter 9: What are the birds and insects of world saying ?

Letter 9: What are the birds and insects of world saying ?

Goals of this work: I prepared this document on birds  is specifically for the purpose of teaching our family kids.  Initial plan was to cover following aspects, a. pictures of  bird family, b. What do the birds saying?, c. How to make sketches of birds? Then, for high school children I added some topics like, mythological aspect, characteristics of birds, poems, etc.

Birds have beautiful feathers and lovely songs that bring joy and wonder to humans. And their flight is the feature that probably captures the human imagination more than anything else. For millennia, people have watched birds in the sky and wished we could fly, too.

It may be helpful to throw some light on the general  characteristics of birds.  We think that we know birds  in general but there are 8,600  different birds in the world. Like us they are warm-blooded. They are the only creature with the feathers, wings and most of them can fly. Some birds, like the Kiwi and Takahe,  have virtually no wings at all (Fig. 1a) and are totally flightless. In such cases Darwin theory of biological evolution can be applied. Basic requirements for flying in air are weight, ability to twist or blend wings like our hands and streamlined body shapes and size.  As far as weight is concerned nature did excellent job to reduce weight from all the body parts. As a materials designer I got amazed to see the materials chosen for all the parts and construction design. Birds are very light because their bones are porous or hollow and full of air. Their beaks are light weight made of Keratin polymer.  Birds cannot chew as they do not have  teeth. From the shapes of beaks  one can tell what a bird eat, e.g., pelicans catch fish in their baggy beaks while Flamingos can sieve food out of  mud with their beaks. Feathers are also very light weight and  much warmer than fur. Such feathers on cold days help them to keep body warm. All the birds lay eggs. Eggs come in wonderful colours and hue, some of them pink and some of them blue and brown.

Fig. 1a

1. Parrots, often called hook bills are pretty birds.

Fig. 1b

Fig. 2

Q. 1. What does the parrot saying?

 The parrots say, Mithu. Everyone loves this sweet sound.

Q. 2. How to make sketch of Parrot?

A. It may be a great joy for kids to make sketches of birds and animals.
For Beginners, here is a step by step drawing of Parrot (see Fig- 3).

Fig. 3

  Q. 3. Why people keep parrots in their houses?

 Parrots are the pretty domestic birds.  Well, they are good companions for

 adults  and kids. They copy our worlds and also let us know when any guest

 is at our doors. Their presence  enhance beauty of our houses.

 Q. 4.  Why parrot’s beak or bill is different than other birds?

 Parrots are often called hook bills. Upper beak is curved where as lower is

small. It is adapted for cracking large nuts and seeds as well as  tearing and

shredding wood from trees to provide nest site. It is also used for grasping

and climbing. Beak can be Berry-feeding, seed-feeding, Cactus-feeding,

insect-feeding, etc  (See Fig.  3b ). Differently shaped beaks evolved according

to Darwin’s theory of natural adoption (each bird adopt to eat a different type

of food available in different regions of the world). 

Fig. 3b

Q. 5. Is Parrot vehicle (Vahan) of any God?

Yes, in Indian mythology, Parrot is vehicle of "God Kamdeva" for details see Fig. 4.

Fig. 4

Fig. 5

Gujarati  Poem on Parrot:

તું  ભણેલો પોપટ રાજા રામનો, તું  સતી સીતાનું વહાલુ રમકડું

તારા રૂપમાં મોહ્યું રે જગ સારું, ઘડાવ્યા હીરલા જડાવેલ પાંજરા

ગળે કાળો ને ગુલાબી કાંઠલો, શીખવી નારીને સોહાવતા નેક્લેસ

તારી માદાને કેમ નથી કાંઠલો, પશુપક્ષીઓમાં સૌ નર સોહામણા

રૂડી આંકડીયા લાલ ચાંચ તારી, નટ ફોડી ખાતો તું તો સુકામેવા

જગમાં આવી નથી કોઈની ચાંચ, લાગે નાથનો તું લાડકો દીકરો

સ્ત્રીઓ તો આંજે કાજળ કાળું, ગોળ આંખે તે આંજયુ કાજળ કેસરી

ભૂલકાઓ રમતા તારા રમકડાં, હસી હસીને માણતા તારી સુંદરતા

રંગ તારો લીલા ઘાસના જેવો, પાંખની અંદર છૂપો છે રંગ પીળો

પણ છૂપ્યા છે બીજા રંગો તુજમાં, તારી કુશળતાનો તો નહિ પાર

સૌથી જુદેરી તારી પગલી, પગની આગળ પાછળ બે બે આંગળા

ચતુરાયથી તું તો ફોડે નાની તોપ, આસાનીથી ચલાવે બાઈસીકલ 

નકલ કરવામાં તું અતિ માહિર, બોલી શકતો ભાષા જગની ઘણી

મોઢે રાખે રામાયણ ને નાટક, તારી યાદશક્તિ તો અપરમ પાર

તું ખાય તીખામાં તીખું મરચું, જીવાત ના ખાનાર તું તો શાકાહારી

તું તો બોલતો હંમેશ મીઠું મીઠું, તારી બોલી લાગે સૌને બહુ પ્યારી

પોપટ તું તો પ્રુર્વજન્મનો ઋષિ, તેઓ શીખવી ગયા બોલતા મીઠું

સાચું બોલજો પણ બોલો પ્રિય, સાચું પણ કડવું કદી નહી બોલવું

તું પંખી થઇ શીખવે માનવને, ફાયદા ઘણા થાય મીઠી જબાનથી

મીઠું બોલવામાં સૌને રશ ઓછો, કડવી ભાષા તો કરે પ્રેમ ઓછો

સંદેશ વાહક થઇ તે બજાવી સેવા, ઘર આંગણે આવકારે મહેમાન

સદીઓથી બન્યો તું ડોર બેલ, બન્યો વહાલો દોસ્ત તું ઘર ઘરનો  

રચનાકાર: રમેશ એમ . ગોહિલ

2. Colorful  Hummingbirds. They are also known as
hummers

Introduction:

Hummingbirds are small, colorful birds with iridescent (showing luminous colors
that seem to change when seen from different angles) feathers (Fig. 6). Designing
remarkable creature like hummingbird is a magical task; many people believe that
Hummers represent a good example of the evidence for God as Creator. To survive, 
all the hummingbird’s features would have to work perfectly (e.g., long bill, special
tongue, unique rapid wing-beat) in order to be able to gather its highly efficient energy
food. Truly, the hummingbird is ‘nature’s tiny miracle, hence we will examine here in
detail some of the characteristic features.

Fig. 6

Q. What do hummingbirds (hummers) sound like?

A. male ruby-throated humming bird makes sound, "chip-chip-chip“or "chee-dit" in
an even tone.  Also, their feathers produce a loud chirping sound too.

Q. Why are they called hummingbirds?

Their wings beat (flap) so fast, they make a noise that sounds like humming.  Their wings
beats are extremely fast, about 75 beats per second.  Ruby-throated and rufous hummingbird
wings can beat 200 times per second, a wonder of world.

Q. How to make sketch of Humming bird?

A. Step by Step drawing of hummingbirds is shown in Fig. 7a.

Fig. 7a

 Q. How big are these hummers?

A. hummingbird is ‘God’s tiny miracle. Ruby-throated humming birds are 3 - 3 3/4 inches long with a wingspan of 4 - 4 3/4 inches. There are more than 300 types of hummingbirds. Male ruby-throats weigh 2.4 - 3.6 g, females 2.8 - 4.5 g. The smallest species of hummingbird weighs less than a penny.     

Male hummingbirds are the tiniest warm-blooded bird on the planet. Females need to be a tiny bit bigger to be able to produce eggs.

Q. Why do the Hummers have needle-like bill?

The needle-like bill of a hummingbird is its most unique physical characteristic. The bill is long and thin and used as a tube for the bird to lick nectar from flowers, sap wells and feeders with its long and agile (fast moving) tongue.

Q. How do the birds fly? What is mechanism of  flying?

A. When bird  fly there are two natural forces that a bird must overcome so that it can fly. Gravity - the force that draws all objects to the ground.  There are two operating forces   birds  have to manage;

“Drag” - the force that slows things down while “Thrust” which  is the force required to overcome drag and to drive the birds forwards.

In order to fly, birds must do four things: 1.get up in the air, 2. stay up there as long as they need, 3. to move in the direction they want to go, 4.come back down safely. Besides body weight, shape, size of their wings and position of feathers help them to accomplish all of these jobs.

To Get up in the air, birds, run into the wind, and the rush of air beneath their wings lifts them up when air comes straight toward the wings or an airfoil like structure (from facing directly into the wind or running fast into the air); the special shape causes the air to flow faster on top of the wing than under it (see Fig.7b). The faster air flow above the wing which lowers the pressure above wing (sort of sucking the bird up) while the slower air below the wing raises the pressure (pushing the bird up). These forces raising the bird are called LIFT, which makes the bird go up (see Figure-7b). Geese and swans are the highest-flying birds, reaching 8,000 metres or more when on migration.

 Fig.7b

Once birds get up in the air, they use two main flying techniques to stay up there. When birds soar     ( rise high in the air), they take advantage air currents to help hold them up. Three kinds of air currents are especially helpful to soaring or take up the birds. A. Thermal air currents.  Slightly warmer air is lighter than the colder air, and rises. B.Updrafts, also called obstruction currents, develop when wind hits an obstruction, like a building. The rushing air has to go somewhere, so it goes up, and can carry a bird up with it. Wind moving toward a bird with spread wings can hold the bird up, thanks to the airfoil shape of the wings (see airfoil illustration above figure). For forward  moving Birds generate thrust by using their strong muscles and flapping their wings. When a bird is gliding, it doesn’t have to do any work. The wings are held out to the side of the body and do not flap. 

When birds flap, the stroke of their downbeat moves the wing tips forward and downward ( See Fig. 7c). The wing tips make a loop at the bottom of the down stroke, and as the wings move up, the wing tips move upward and backward. In the down stroke (Fig 7c), the pressure is higher below the wing than above, causing lift. And as they move forward, the rush of air on their airfoil wings causes more lift. Thrust is the force required to overcome drag and drive the bird forwards. Flapping keeps the air current moving to create lift and also moves the bird forward.

Fig. 7c

         To, move in the forward direction birds use their wings and feathers. When the eagle sees  some small creature move, it can close its wings and fall from the sky like a missile, opening its great wings again to slow down as it comes to land.

Q. How can hummingbirds hover in one place?

A. They can fly backwards and upside down to hover. When a bird flaps its wing forward it creates forces called 'lift' and 'thrust', which move the bird up and forward. Hummingbirds can rotate their wings backward, which creates downward 'lift' and backward 'thrust'. By alternating flapping their wings forward and backward, the up and down forces and forward and back forces cancel each other out, so the hummingbird hovers in one place. This is a complex amazing wing movements which  hummers learn in few days after birth.

Q. How does hovering help a humming bird?

A. It can hover long enough to suck out all the nectar it needs from a flower.

Q. How fast do hummers fly?

A. Ruby-throated hummingbirds can fly up to 27 miles per hour (m.p.h). Some fly 45 m.p.h while another kept up with a car going 55 - 60 m.p.h.

Q. What food do hummers eat?

A. Hummingbirds primarily eat flower nectar, tree sap, insects and pollen.

Q. Do the Hummers have legs?

 A. Hummingbirds have very tiny legs and feet; so small that they cannot walk. They can manage an 
awkward sideways hop.

Q. Why are the Hummers very energetic?

 A. Hummingbirds have the highest in-flight metabolism of any bird species. Their efficient energy
 conversion is necessary to sustain their rapid heart rate and wing speed.

Q. Do Hummers make nests?

A. Hummingbirds have nests that are the size of a quarter (2.5 cm).

My Song on Hummingbirds:

As spring commences, I start planting plants in my patios

Trees and plants bloom, birds make the environment alive

My heart leaps up when I behold Hummers in the patio

Like me Hummers are early birds, unlike them I make my tea

As I sit down at my kitchen table, I look through my window

Watching games played by the Hummers with my flowers

Giving hundreds of kisses to flowers was the part of play

When I was unaware, I thought there are few crazy birds 

While I enjoy my morning tea, sucking the nectar is your joy

Your magnificent aerial dance is like a floating ballet

Your steady hovering in the air was the magical show of life

Oh God, thy art is magnificent, it is the wonder of the world 

Seeing you all daily in different colors, my eyes remain thirsty

I thought you are trying to impress me, hope I am not wrong

You do not know how much I love you, I prepare feeder for you             

Seeing you every spring morning, make my day inspired

You sing chirp- chirp-chirp, feathers make chirping sound too

Your wing flapping beats more than fifty five per second 

Ooh so tiny, you are only four inch long and weigh four gram

Your needle-like bill is unique to lick nectar from the flowers 

Hovering in one place by your pliable speedy flapping wings 

Long hovering makes you to suck out the nectar of flowers

You have tiny legs and feet but are not quite good at walking

Capable of flying with the speed of fifty five miles per hour

Helicopters cannot copy your skills, engineers get lost in design

They want to mimic you to spy, to scout out safe combat zones

You are the great gift of God, stirred by the beauty of nature   

Hummers, you reflect evidence for the presence of creator

Author: Ramesh M. Gohil

3. Black Bill Cuckoo or Koyal

Fig. 8

Cuckoos are very  pretty bird (see in Figs. 8-9). The word Koyal also means "nightingale" in India

because of the Koyal 's  lovely melodious call.

Fig. 9

Q. 1. What does the Cuckoo saying?

 A. The Cuckoo  (Koyal  or Koel) say, Ku Koo or coo- coo- coo- coo!, 'cuck-oo, cuck-oo'. 
 Everyone loves this sweet sound. The female makes a shrill,  kik-kik-kik. 

Q. 2. Can we hear sweet sound in all the seasons?

A. Every year in India, in the  Month of March (Vasant Rutu) we hear first cooing of  Koyal  male around 5.30 to 6.00 pm. We regard  Koyal sings to announce spring's arrival.

Q. 3. Why do people not  keep Cuckoo in house? 

A. They are not domestic birds and very shy of human.

It has been chosen as the state bird by the southern Indian state of Puducherry (Pondicherry).

Q, Is it true that Cuckoo never make nest? 

A. Koyal is known as brood parasites, lay their eggs in the nests of other birds and do not provide any parental care for their own offspring. That means that female cuckoo uses nests of other birds to lay her own eggs. Female cuckoo lays one egg in each nest. She usually lays between 12 and 22 eggs per season in  different nests.

Q. How to make sketches of Cuckoo?

A. Fig.10 shows a simple way to make sketches. These  steps similar to those shown for Parrot in Fig.3.

Fig. 10

Q. Why are the Cuckoo Clocks very famous?

A. The cuckoo clock was invented in Germany  in the mid-1700s. The German Black Forest (Schwarzwald) is the birthplace of the Cuckoo clock. The clocks were made during the long winter months in the summer throughout all of Europe.

Cuckoo clock is typically a pendulum clock striking the hours using small bellows and whistles that imitate the call of the cuckoo bird and hit on a wire gong. Clock  make sound of cuckoo, "Coo-Coo! Coo-Coo!”.

 Major reason  of  popularity  can be attributed to , 1. Pleasant voice of Cuckoo; 2. Clock is  Housed in beautifully carved wooden casings (see Fig. 11).  These are the reasons leading 
the cuckoo clock survived until now.

Fig. 11

Famous Cuckoo  Song 

The cuckoo is a merry bird, He sings as he flies,
He brings us glad tidings,  And tells us no lies.

He sucks up the bird's eggs, To make his voice clear,
And the more he cries 'Cuckoo!‘, The summer draws near.

The cuckoo is a lazy bird, She never builds a nest,
She makes herself busy, By singing to the rest.

The cuckoo comes in April, She sings a song in May,
In June she beats upon the drum, And then she'll go away.

She never hatches her own young, And that we all know,
But leaves it to some other bird, While she cries, 'Cuckoo!‘

And when her time is come, Her voice we no longer hear,
And where she goes we do not know, Until another year.

Unknown Author of this song.

My Cuckoo Song:

Koyal Singing Cuckoo, Cuckoo ...      spring at our door    

Cuckoo, hearing your sweet voice, Cuckoo, Cuckoo, Cuckoo

My heart feels as if a great Guru is chanting a magic Mantra 

Mother, darling of the spring is our guest, spring at our door    

Sun likes Cuckoo too, now on days will be longer and longer

Hearing Cuckoo’s mantra, plants and trees bloom for our joy

They put on colorful clothes, the flowers are spraying perfumes

It is season to walk in the forest, let us enjoy the beauty of nature

Some tell you nightingale, some Koyal, you are great energizer

Why do you sing Cuckoo while your spouse sings kik-kik-kik?

Your whole family makes different sounds just as we human do

 O so shy, I look you in woods, why do you hide from human?  

 O black beauty, flying colors of your family makes eyes still  

         

I rejoice that you are chosen as the state bird of Pondicherry

Hearing your singing babies stop crying, mothers’ joy flourishes  

Mother says you are clever, you never hatch your own chicks 

You lay your eggs in crows’ nests as they are great care takers

Tell us secrets of your sweet voice, is it that you suck birds’ eggs?

Think of parents who really desire babies, in life never hurt others

You appear in April and start beating the drum till May ends

As you cry more Cuckoos, summer’s end draw near and near

Like me you do not like the monsoon and winter, so fly away

O lucky, you have wings for flying far, we fly only in dreams

But I do not want to miss you, father brought me a Cuckoo clock

Let me know where you go, so I will follow you to that pretty land

Author: Ramesh M. Gohil

4. Rooster and his Family

Fig. 12

Q. 1. What does the Rooster saying?

A. The rooster says "Cock-a-doodle-doo!"

Q. 2.  How to draw roosters?

A. Step by Step drawing of rooster is shown in Fig. 13.

Fig. 13

3. What does the chicken saying?

A.The chicken says "Cluck-cluck"! (See Fig.14)

4. What does the little chicken saying?

A.The Chicks say, Cheep, Cheep! (See Fig.14)

Fig. 14

Fig. 15

Q. 5. Why do people  keep  Rooster and his Family in their houses? 

A. They are domestic birds and provide us eggs and meat to eat. They also provide good fertilizer.

Q. 6. What  is  the kind of service  roosters have been  providing to people ?

A. Roosters have provided service of alarm clock, saying, “ get up it is time to get ready for work”  and farmers use to get up at 5 am.

Painting of Rooster and chicken (See Fig.16-18)

Fig. 16

Fig. 17

Fig. 18

                                                                          Fig. 19

Q. How people made money using roosters? 

1    1. Human have invented rooster fight as a game to entertain people. This game provided an example of cruel  or brutal act. For money we can do anything, we sometimes get tempted to violet all ethics.

2     2.  Painters got amazed with beauty of Roosters and  they enjoyed painting you. Artists are making decorative articles, hence  roosters opened up opportunity for  new business

3     3.  Family rooster are promoter of meat market and opened up big eggs business. Hence, they have been making life easy for  many people.

3   4. Family rooster are promoter of meat market and opened up big eggs business. Hence, they have been making life easy for  many people.

                                                                              Fig. 20

My Rooster Poem

Rooster, Rooster, you are the bright colored most beautiful fowl 

Like kings you wear unique crown, red crown is known as comb

Your red wattle give you personality, with your steps it swings

Sickle feathers add great beauty, tail maneuver your all motions

Your wings are at an angle, in evolution you forgot arts of flying

You have curved light weight beak, perfect to eat seeds and bugs 

Painters got amazed with your beauty, they enjoyed painting you

Artists are making decorative articles, you promote new business

You say "Cock-a-doodle-doo, while hens saying "Cluck-cluck"

Chicks saying, cheep-cheep, all voices have actions on stomach

For keeping insects away from ears, you use hanging ear lobes

Heckles and wings are useful, in rain they help to keep you dry

You have three forward fingers, while only one backward finger

Who knows use of the Spur, Rooster lovers cut it off from legs

You work like an alarm clock, morning at five o’clock it goes off

For saving your flock from predator, you alert all by alarm sound

I enjoyed watching you walking, confident walking is impressive

It reflects the state of your mind, most of us could not achieve it

On breakfast table we like omelet, in dinner we eat chicken meat  

You are promoter of meat market, you made living of many people

Human misused you for money, invented rooster fight as a game

For money we can do anything, we get tempted to violet all ethics
Author: Ramesh M. Gohil

5. Turkey,  near and dear to Americans

Fig. 21

Q. 1. Turkey: What does the Turkey saying?

A. The Turkey say, Gobble, Gobble, Gobble.

Q. 2. Why  do the people prefer  meat of Turkeys ?  

A. Like hens,Turkies are also household birds. Turkey meat has less fat.

Q. 3. Why do birds have eyes on their either side of their head? 

A. Some bird groups have specific modifications to their visual system linked to their way of life. The placement of their eyes gives them good binocular vision enabling accurate judgement of distances.

Q. 3. Can Turkeys  fly?.

Wild turkeys can fly, but domestic turkeys cannot. Turkeys can run up to 20 miles per hour .

Q. 4. How to make sketch of Turkey ?

A. An easy way to make sketch of Turkey is shown in Fig. 22. First draw two circles and  follow design shown in Fig. 22.

Fig. 22

Q 5. Why are the Turkeys  near and dear to Americans?

A. These pretty household  birds use to be near and dear to  native Indian. In old days native Indian considered them as one of the survival kits. Thanksgiving  is celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November and on that day meal people eat turkey.  Here is a story.

Thanksgiving Day History:

The history of the Thanksgiving turkey is a bit of a mystery.  "First Thanksgiving" was celebrated by the  Pilgrims  in the New World in 1621 and it was attended by 90 Native Americans  and 53 Pilgrims; there was no record that turkey was  served in menu.  Still, nobody knows exactly how this particular bird earned a place of honor at the table each November.

A record indicates that the New England colonists started celebrating "thanks giving” for  military victory.  Abraham Lincoln  proclaimed it as  an official Federal holiday in 1863. Americans started eating turkey for Thanksgiving in the mid-1800s. In 1621 a popular magazine editor named Sarah Josepha has published recipes for turkey and stuffing and pumpkin pie and started traditions that had nothing to do with the colonists.

At that time, the wild turkey was a native bird of North America.  As a result, Benjamin Franklin claimed this made the turkey a more suitable national bird for the United States than the bald eagle. This may be a major reason to include in thanksgiving menu. - See more at: http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-eat-turkey-on-thanksgiving/#sthash.ZFSN4qrb.dpuf

6. Honey Bees, They fall in insect category.

Fig. 23

Q 1.What do the Bees saying?

A. The Bees say Buzzzzzzzzz

Q 2. How to make sketch of Honey Bees? 

A. An easy approach to draw Bees is shown in Fig. 24.

Fig. 24

Q. 4. What is family structure of  bees?

A. Honey bees are very ancient  and their family structure is  very well organized. Here are some
 interesting facts:

-The bees colony is divided into three classes: the queen, workers and Drones.

- Almost any honey bee larva can become a queen if the workers feed her royal jelly.

-Queen, ruler of the family is the most reproductive female.

-Workers are non-reproductive females with combs on legs. Tasks of workers are defending, feeding
 and nursing babies

- At the most, drones is male and can live for up to 4 months, however, they may survive for just a
 few weeks.

Q. 5. How do the bees make honey comb?

A. Scientists believe that  bees simply make cells that are circular in cross section and are packed
 together like a layer of bubbles. The wax, softened by the heat of the bees' bodies, then gets pulled 
into hexagonal cells by surface tension at the junctions where three walls meet.

Fig. 25

Q. How is the honey made by honey bees ?

A. In order to store the sugars in a usable and efficient state, bees convert the nectar into

honey. To do this worker bees fly out from the hive in search of nectar-rich flowers.

Worker bees drinks the liquid nectar and stores it in a special stomach called the honey

stomach visiting hundreds of flowers, until its honey stomach is full. Nectar is 80

percent water and contains some combination of amino and other acids, proteins, lipids,

minerals and vitamins .

In honey stomach of workers, enzymes that bees produce turn the sucrose  (a disaccharide) into

glucose and fructose (mono-saccharides). This process is called inversion.

After going to hive Bees start vomiting inverted nectar into a cell of the honeycomb. Then, the hive bees beat their wings violantly, fanning the nectar to evaporate its remaining water content. As the water evaporates, the sugars thicken into honey.  Process goes on for one to three days until honey  attain 15 to 18 % moisture. Once the honey is finished, the hive bee caps the beeswax cell, sealing the honey into the honeycomb for later consumption.

This is a tough process since one bee only makes one-twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in their life. Honey is bee vomit and in fact it takes at least 100,000 vomits to make 1 pound of honey.”

 Here are some facts people have documented in literature:

Q.How many Honey Bees are there in a hive?

A.  In a strong hive there are 70,000 - 100,000 Bees in a hive.When conditions are right, a honey bee can visit as many as 2,000 flowers in a single day.

• How many flowers must honey bees tap to make one pound of honey? - Two million.
• How far does a hive of bees fly to bring you one pound of honey? - Over 55,000 miles
• How much honey does the average worker honey bee make in her lifetime? -
  1/12th  teaspoon.
• How long does a worker honey bee live? - Approximately 42-45 days in peek season.
• When do Honey Bees sleep? - Honey Bees do not sleep. They take mini cat naps. They work all day long in the field collecting nectar, pollen, water,  etc. and at night they work in the hives building new combs, repairing old combs, etc.
• How long have bees been producing honey from flowering plants? - 10-20 million years. Hence technique of making honey is very old and chemists have learned using enzyme as a catalyst to oxidize sugars.

         Q.   How do honey bees communicate with one another?

         A. "Dancing." Honey bees do a dance which alerts other bees where nectar and pollen are located. This dance explains direction and distance. 

Honey bees communicate with each other by dancing. After a honey bee has found food she tells the other bees when she returns to the hive. The bee will dance on the honeycomb, while the other bees feel the dancing bee and learn where the food is.

Round Dance:

When food is close to the hive (less than 100 yards), a worker bee performs the round dance. She goes round and round, first one way and then the other. The round dance does not show the exact location of the flowers so fellow worker bees must fly out in many directions looking for them (See Fig. 26).

                                                                                       Fig. 26

Waggle Dance

If the flowers are more than 100 yards away from the hive, the returning bee performs the waggle dance. The bee dances a half circle in one direction ( See figure 27), turns, and runs straight while wagging her abdomen. Then she dances a half circle in the other direction. These two half circles form a figure eight.

If the food is in the same direction as the sun, the central run of the dance is straight up the comb. If the food is to the left or right of the sun direction ( See figure 27),  the bee alters the direction of the dance by the correct amount to the left or right of the upright line.

The distance between the hive and the food is communicated by the speed of the dance and the buzzing sound made by the dancing bee. The faster the worker dances, the closer the food. The waggle dance shows both location and distance of the flowers, so the bees know where to fly.

Fig. 27

- During the summer months the population of a hive (honeycomb) reaches its peak, around 60,000 bees. 

-A Queen Bee lives for 3-5 years. When she is aging, worker bees “make” a new Queen by feeding the larva a special diet of royal jelly. Honey is concentrated nectar.

-The queen lays hundreds of thousands of eggs.  Bees take care of their queen, and she lays eggs to keep the colony going.

-When bees alight on flowers they are collecting pollen and Nectar;  the latter is made into honey.

-Honey bees do not hibernate in winter, they have jobs. They vibrate their flight muscles, and the movement keeps the inner hive at about 90 degrees C.

-Honey bees work hardest when flowers are blooming. In summer a bee literally works itself to death within 6 weeks

How fast does a honey bee fly? About 15 miles per hour / 24 kilometres per hour.

Anatomy of honey bees

Fig. 28

My Poem On Bees

O' honey  bees, you are the dedicated insects of this world

You have a honey stomach, five eyes and a pollen basket

You have two sets of flat and very thin transparent wings

Your buzz  is resulting from incredibly fast wings strokes

Spiracle at thorax and abdomen are the tiny holes to breath

Body has stinger, antennae, feathery hairs to collect pollen

A Tube-like tongue, mandible and six legs make your body

Forward legs to clean, middle to walk, hind to load pollen

You have very ancient   highly organized family structure

As insects you have created first female oriented kingdom

Queen, workers and drones are your three family classes

Mankind created non-functional several casts and classes

Queen, ruler of the family is the most reproductive female

Workers are non-reproductive females with combs on legs

Tasks of workers are defending, feeding and nursing babies

Till recently our females had no chance to become Soldiers

Drones are short lived safe males, they do not have stinger             

In a honey comb thousands of bees spending peaceful life 

Please teach us your art of living together without fighting 

You are one of the most intelligent insects worth knowing

Amazed to see the hidden places where you build the hives

O’ smarty you know tricks to repair your hive using Propolis

O’ clever, you know the tricks to keep home warm in winter

In spring your buzz goes from flower to flower to get nectar

Our Horticulture depends greatly on your help in pollination

Humans and birds will never forget your help in agriculture

You know how to convert nectar into healthy sweet honey

You store honey nectar in your honey comb and we steal it

Your honey that we love to eat with bread for our breakfast

Our doctors have found many uses of honey for medicines

Highly beneficial for blood, antibacterial, Arthritis and cough  

Bees wax used in drugs, cosmetics, candles, furniture polish

O’ shy of human, for you I  implant every spring flower plants

Mankind and birds are thankful for making our life pleasant

Author: Ramesh M. Gohil

Vocabulary: Honey comb or hives=bees home, A normal hive consists of up to 60,000 or more bees.; Stinger = an insect that stings, such as a bees; sting=injury caused by the venom of bees ; mandible= the bone of the lower jaw, function is typically to grasp, crush, or cut the insect’s food, or to defend against predators.  Propolis  =   Propolis is the sticky resinous substance that the bees collect from the buds of trees and use to seal up cracks in the hive. Horticulture= a branch of agriculture. 

7. Duck

Fig. 29a.

Fig. 29b.




Fig. 29c

Q. What does the Duck saying?

A.  The duck says, Quack! Quack! Also written as , Kwek,  Kwek, Kwek,

Q. How to make sketch of  Duck?

A. Steps to draw Ducks are shown in Fig. 29d

Fig 29d

Q. What is difference between Goose and Duck?

A. The Goose says, Honk, Honk. Goose is different than Duck but looks similar.  Like ducks, geese and swans have stocky bodies, webbed feet, and usually short tails.

Q. Why they say different words?

It may be dependent on design criteria of mouth, body type and perhaps what they have learned from their parent.

Q. Why is bill’s of duck  so different than other birds? (see Figs. 3b).

It is spoon shaped bill. Normally their bill pointed toward water. They swim low. Note: Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of  birds, which also includes swans and geese.

Q. Do Duck built nest?

A. Wood and Muscovy Ducks--often roost or nest in trees.

Q.  Can all ducks swim shallow?

A. There are diving ducks who swim underwater for deeper food and dabbling ducks who feed on the surface of shallow water. Because of shape of the duck body it is difficult to  swim in deep water 
(Fig. 29 e).

Fig.29e

Q. Why is the Duck masks popular?

A. Kids like bill of duck. Bill give unique personality (see Fig.30) and fun too. Duck masks open up a new business.

Fig. 30

Five Little Ducks 

Five little ducks went out one day
Over the hills and far away,
Mommy (daddy) duck called quack quack quack,
But only 4 little ducks came back. 

Four little ducks went out one day
Over the hills and far away,
Mommy (daddy) duck called quack quack quack,
But only 3 little ducks came back.

Three little ducks went out one day
Over the hills and far away,
Mommy (daddy) duck called quack quack quack,
But only 2 little ducks came back.

woT little ducks went out one day
Over the hills and far away,
Mommy (daddy) duck called quack quack quack,
But only 1 little duck came back. 

One little duck went out one day
Over the hills and far away,
Mommy (daddy) duck called quack quack quack,
But no little ducks came wondering back.

No little ducks went out one day
Over the hills and far away,
Mommy (daddy) duck called quack quack quack,
And 5 little ducks came wandering back. 


8. Owls or Uluks

 Fig. 31

Q. What do the Owls saying?

A. Sounds  of owl  varies  depending on types of Owl.

Saw-whet Owl (North America Owl ) shown in  picture ( Fig. 31) with yellow eyes make high-pitched too-too-too  sound.

Other Owls say, Whoo-o-o-o-o  or Hoo, hoo-oo, hoo, hoo.  A low moaning  sound , hoooooooo

Q. How to make sketch of  Duck?

A. Draw circles as shown in Fig. 32 and then draw shapes of wings and legs. One can also try to draw Owl as shown in Fig.33.

Fig. 32

Fig. 33

Q.  Why is Owl looks unusual than other  birds?

A. This is mainly due to  position of  eyes. Some barn Owl have monkey like face (Fig.35) while snowy owls have white color with yellow eyes (Fig.34). Flattened  face forming facial disks and  large forward facing eyes. Their look scare kids.

Q. How can owl  see back?

A. To see back, Owl can rotate even back. This is unique feature of owls.

Q.  Whicht bird only blinks one eye at a time?

A. An owl blinks one eye at a time.

Q.  Can owl see in night ?

A. Yes. Owl sleeps through the day and prowls through the night.

                                                                                   Fig. 34

                                                                                     Fig. 35

Q. Which is the bird considered as  bird of death?

A. The owl or the raven, depending on your beliefs

Q.  Is  the Owl or Uluka, vehicle of any Indian God?

A. Yes, Owl is vahan of  "LAKSHMI" (see Fig.36).

Throughout many cultures, the symbolic meaning of owl deals with: intelligence, brilliance, perspective, intuition, quick-wit, independence, wisdom, protection, mystery and power.

In a spiritual world, owls have variously symbolized dread (fear), knowledge, wisdom, announcement of deaths. Thus, the owl also served simultaneously as indicators of scarce native habits and their cultural and religious beliefs. The owl seems to be a multi-purpose symbol admitting both benevolent (generous) and malevolent (evil) interpretations. 

.

 Fig. 36

9. Crow

Fig. 37

Q, What does the Crow saying?

A. The Crows say Caw! Caw!

Q. What is the name of the bird 'crow' in sanskrit?

A. Kaaka.

Q. How to make sketch of Crow ? 

A. Steps by step drawing of crow is shown in Fig.38.

                                                                             Fig. 38

Q. Is it true that Crows have an excellent memory?

A. Crows have an excellent memory and  good at stashing (store something safely and secretly in a specified place) food in many caches. It is known that for their size, crows have the largest brains of all birds except some parrots and  brain-to-body ratio  is equivalent to that of a chimpanzee and amazingly, not far off that of a human’s.

Q. Can Crow communicate?

A. Crows have  large vocabulary of sounds.  They not only have a communication language but also regional dialects. Crows constantly communicate their observations to each other.They have warning calls, sounds signifying readiness for flight and, among others, an "inviting" call to other members of the group requesting their company when food is present.

Q. Are crow social birds?

A. The crow is a very social bird.

Q. Is crow (corvids) fearful bird? 

A. No. Corvids are absolutely fearless, particularly when chasing bald or golden eagles.

Crows posses a deep repertoire of melodies and are considered song-birds . It is claimed that  some crows have even been taught to recite opera.

Q.  Is  the crow vehicle of any Indian God?

A. Yes, crow is the vehicle of Sani Dev (see Fig. 39).

Fig. 39

Nature and Characteristics of Graha Shani or shani Dev

 Shani is a deva representing planet Saturn and is the Lord of Saturday. It is claimed that our character is responsible to situation of Grahas at the time of our birth, hence how we behave is fixed and we have no choice.

Shani is the most infamous planet in Astrology. God Shani is by nature a perfectionist, lord of spiritualism, devotion, penance, dedication are of prime importance. Shani is strict and likes those who follow his "rules, therefore God Shani is a judge and his judgment is always impartial. Because of this quality he is considered cruel. Shani is not materialistic. A person under the influence of Shani will be driven away from materialistic things and towards philosophy and spirituality. It will make the person hardworking, disciplined, persistent, responsible and emotionally strong. People think Saturn always brings hardship and failure, which is far from the truth. Actually, Shani is known as the "judge" among all the planets. It will give you results based exactly on your past karma. If you have performed good karma, it will give you good results, These are the characteristics of Graha Shani or Shanidev. As crow has similar characteristics, it was chosen as Vahan of Shanidev.

To live a Successful and Peaceful Life, it is claimed that we should get blessings from our ancestors and generally there are two  primary causes for problems:

1) Problems caused by Navagrahas (9 Planets)

2) Problems/Obstacles caused by our Ancestral Spirits

Usually, ancestors who have departed with unfulfilled desires are problematic and if we fix the above mentioned problems, we can lead a peaceful life. Performing Tarpanam is the most effective means for helping departed loved ones and ancestors and it can also change our destiny. According to Hindu mythology Crows help us to connect us with the spirit of our ancestors. To fulfill desires of our ancestors people perform Tarpanam and we feed crows on a special day.  

Gujarati Poem On Crow: કાગડાનું સંસ્કૃત નામ "કાકા"

આંગણીયે બેસી હું જોતો તુજને, આંબા ડાળે બેસી તું બોલતો કા કા કા

લોકોને લાગે તારો અવાજ કર્કશ, તો કોકને ના ગમતો તારો કાળો રંગ

કોકને લાગતો તું હાનિકારક, તો લોકને લાગે તારી લાક્ષણિકતા અશુભ

સમજી શક્યું ના આ જગ તુજને, સોનાની પરીક્ષા તો પાકો સોની જાણે  

ભર્યા તુજમાં ગુણ ગુણના ભંડાર,ચતુરાયનો રહયો તું તો મોટો ખેલાડી

તારા સમો સમાજ સેવક ના કોઈ, દિલ દઈ ઉછેરતો કોયલના સંતાનો

જગનો તું પ્રથમ ટેકનોલોજીસ્ત, ભાત ભાતના હથીયાર બનાવતું પક્ષી

હથીયારની પહચાન દીધી માનવને,ખોરાકની શોધમાં વાપરી બતાવ્યા

જાદુઈ આંખો કોઈનામાં દીઠી નહિ,બંને આંખે તું જોતો જુદા જુદા દ્રશ્યો

કદી ના બીતો કાકા કોઈ પક્ષીથી, પીછો કરે જો ગરુડનો તો મારીને જંપે      

પક્ષી જગમાં તેજસ્વી મન તારું, શરીર પ્રમાણે તું તો ચીમ્પાઝી સમકક્ષ

મધુર સ્વર શબ્દોનો તુજમાં ભંડાર, સંગીત પ્રેમી કહેતા “સોન્ગ બર્ડ” તને

સંગીતમાં ભવ્યતા તુજમાં મોટી, ઓપેરાના પાઠ ભણી બતાવ્યા જગને

સંદેશાવ્યવહારમાં તું સૌથી માહિર, સ્વર આધારિત રચી બતાવી ભાષા

એક બીજાઓને સંદેશા મોકલતા, દેતા માહિતીઓ ખોરાક ને ભય તણી

માહિતીથી વંચિત કરતા સાથીઓને, ચેતવણી દેતા લડાઈ તૈયારી કાજ

યાદ શક્તિમાં ના કોઈ તારી તોલે, સંતાડે ચીજો ખૂણે ખૂણે પણ ના ભૂલે

મશ્કરી કદી ના કરવી કાગડાની, રોષ રાખે ને વિના વેર કદી નહી જંપે      

કહે ભારતીય પૌરાણિક માન્યતા, પૂર્વજ આત્માનો તુંજ છે સંદેશા વાહક

માતૃપિતૃ તર્પણ થતું તુજ થકી, તુજ આત્માઓની શાંતિ કરાવી આપતો

કાકા બન્યા શનિદેવનું વાહન, કાકાના સર્વે ગુણો શનિગ્રહને આધારિત

શનિ જેટલો સારો તેટલો અશુભ, નિષ્પક્ષ ચુકાદો, ભક્તિભાવનો દેનાર

શનિદેવે કાપ્યું ગણેશજીનું માથું, કર્મ પ્રમાણે ફળ દેનાર તું છે સત્યપ્રિય

શનિદેવ બનાવે તત્વજ્ઞાની, સંશોધક, મહેનતુ, જવાબદાર ને સહનશીલ 

લેખક: રમેશ એમ. ગોહિલ

10. Houseflies (It is an insect) 

Fig. 40

Flies are classified as "Insects" (see Fig. 40).

Q1.What do the flies saying?

A. The flies say, Buzz, buzz, buzz,

Q.2. How to draw housefly?

A. Step by  step drawing of housefly (see Figs 41).

Fig. 41

Q 3. Do flies have transparent wings?

A. Yes. See Fig. 40

Q 4. How are the flies eat  food?

 A. Flies cannot consume solid food, so they first spitting on food to dissolve it. They then ingest the liquefied food. Mostly their diet consists of rotting organic matter like decaying food , garbage, fresh animal manure, compost,  flesh , etc..

Q 5.  Why we do not like flies around us?

 A. Flies breed in  rotten food  or around garbage from which they can pick up bacteria and viruses that can cause various  human diseases like typhoid, cholera, salmonella, dysentery, tuberculosis and anthrax. House flies or fruit flies are normally viewed as pests.  Hence, their presence are annoying to most humans .

Q 6. How to control  flies around us?

A. To prevent any diseases, every child has to learn cleanliness from childhood.  Here are some suggestions worth considering.

 1. Keep food covered at all times, not just outside but inside your home as well and seal up garbage thoroughly.

 2. to control house flies use non-chemical methods like fly paper , fly traps , light traps, etc.

 3. In case of serious infestation issues call in licensed professionals to spray insecticides throughout the house.

END