Isn't there a saying - ‘eat like a bird'!
If so, have you noticed- the birds
Constantly searching for food?
Continuously eating!
Birds have no teeth,
They cannot chew food like the animals,
But, they can swallow food,
Bits, pieces and sometimes, the whole!
Food passes through the mouth to the throat,
Then, the stomach with digestive glands,
Further into the gizzard with ridged walls,
That can ground and mash any kind of food.
Sometimes, the seed- eater birds,
Swallow grit and small stones too,
But the stomach gizzard is like a grinding stone,
That can smash any hard stuff into powder!
Birds are hot blooded,
In order to retain their body temperature,
They keep eating all through their waking hours.
They can digest anything and everything.
I always wondered how birds flew long distance!
Birds have pouches called crop or craw,
Food is stored and stuffed into the stomach and crop,
Even into the throat- the excess hanging out of the beak!
Most birds compete to get their share of food,
But some birds are thieves and make it a habit too.
Sea birds like Skuas or Sea hunters are chasers,
Swooping and snatching food to satisfy their hunger!
Birds fly and fly, for miles and miles,
Because they are voracious eaters,
Whether small birds or large birds, they all eat and eat,
After all, they are birds of the same feather, flocking together!
It is amazing that even a tiny bird has a digestive system so strong and sturdy that whatever it eats gets pulverized and fully assimilated into its body. How wonderfully God has created everything with so much of adaptability and suppleness. This is a very informative piece on birds and their eating habits! Well done Geeta.....
Sometimes, the seed- eater birds, Swallow grit and small stones too as they have no teeth. Nature is wonderful and birds are wonderful. They enjoy much their freedom. Birds fly and fly, for miles and miles in search of food and nest. Birds increase the natural beauty. This poem is excellently penned..
the bird metaphor underpins a significant message on a serious aspect of life as we live it individually together
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
Dear Ma'am Geeta, in your school of thought, a poem is not a poem but a shorter version of a research paper. So much information is passed on to the reader about the topic at hand without sacrificing the aesthetic value in the process. Ideas expressed about the birds' eating habits and digestive powers and their activity and flying skills is a testimony to what I have said.