The megapode (“big feet”) or “incubator bird” of Australia is unique among birds, which use body heat to incubate their eggs. Instead, this “brush turkey” uses fermentation heat, or solar heat, or heat produced by volcanic action. The female is responsible for testing the nest to see if it is adequate for incubating her eggs. What explanation can evolution offer for the ability to evaluate the suitability of a nest that may be dug three feet into the ground and extend 10 or more feet above ground, and up to fifty feet across? And, what would motivate a 3 ½ pound male bird to construct another monstrous nest should the hen reject his first effort? After accepting the nest, she lays 20 to 35 eggs at the rate of one egg every three days for up to seven months. As many as 16 eggs can exist in a normal mound at any one time. Each egg weighs about half a pound and is as large as an ostrich egg. Upon completion of her laying, she leaves the nest, never to return again. This is not the normal evolutionary way. At this point,m the male manages the incubation of the deeply buried eggs. For the chicks to survive, they demand a precise temperature of 91o F. One degree on either side of 91o is fatal, so the male will not let the temperature vary. The mystery is how he measures the temperatures, or knows what to do. He digs down into the nest and checks the temperature. On hot days, he piles extra sand on top to shield it from the sun. He may even rearrange the entire pile of rotting leaves several times a day. On cooler days, he will push away material off the top to permit more sunlight to penetrate the decaying organic material. Or, to keep the humidity at 99.5%, he may dig conical holes toward the eggs to get more moisture deeper into the nest. This process is very precise: one centimeter of fresh material added to the mound can increase core temperature about 1 ½ C. Roger Seymour, p. 110 “The Brush Turkey,” Scientific American, Bol. 265. No. 6, Dec. 1991, pp. 108-114. Not only must the eggs be kept at 91o F and 99.5% humidity, but the chick must get enough air to breathe. The father provides the fresh air for the chicks as he daily digs down to the eggs. But the Chick must get the air inside the shell. The means to get air inside the shell was provided by hen as she formed the shell. It has thousands of tiny holes (pores) in it, which are shaped like cones in the thick shell, with the narrowest part toward the chick. As the chick grows, it cannot get enough eair through the bottom of the cone, so it begins to remoce the inside layer of the shell. As it thins out the shell, the holes get bigger, moving up the cone, and the chick can get more air. The way the chicks hatch is also unique among birds. Unlike other birds, they are ready to fly with full feathers as soon as they emerge. Once they hatch, it takes up to three days for them to dig their way up out of the mound. How do they know they must dig their way our or else they die? They have not been instructed by either parent. Once they are out of the nest, they are on their own, not fed nor cared for by either parent. When they mature, they will build a huge nest without any instructions from his parents. This is not learned behavior. This is proof of God!
Posted on: Tue, 03 Sep 2013 01:06:45 +0000
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