A malleefowl is large, about the size of a large chicken, and has a rather long neck and a small head with a crest on top and a strong, sharp beak. Some of them are quite pretty, with a plain white front and underpart of the body, except for a striped black ribbon from the neck to the base of the chest. The outstanding feature is a pinkish-brown or pinkish-gray marbling of the wings and tail feathers, giving them an attractive appearance.
They are not too choosy about food, eating mostly seeds, fruit, flower buds, worms and insects. They gather some of this food by scratching the soil for it, just as a chicken does in the barnyard. Although living in a hot, dry country, water is not a problem. God, who created them, as the above Bible verse says, has given them the ability to go for long periods without needing water.
Their homeland in Australia is called “Mallee Country” because so many live there. In this area, eucalyptus trees grow so close together that hardly any sunlight breaks through except at random spots. In some of these bare, hot spots you will find huge mounds of dirt, about 10 feet across, 3 feet deep and 2 feet above ground level. These are nesting mounds. They are not natural dirt piles; they are built over the years by a number of malleefowl working together, using their strong legs and sharp-clawed feet to form it. They do this by standing in a circle with their backs toward a central spot and then digging and kicking dirt, leaves, broken branches, stones and anything else their feet may find toward that target. Each bird selects a place to stand and kick and contributes its share toward making a somewhat round heap.
When these mounds get too big to be managed, a new site is selected, and they start again from ground level. The beginning work is easy compared to what it becomes when the mound has been added to for several years and may become as large as 15 feet wide and several feet high. Just think what strong legs and feet they have to kick this material so high over such a large area! Each year they work several days at building it a little higher—a tremendous job—and it’s amazing some don’t give up. But they work together very nicely, just as ordered by the Creator when He first created them.
He also wants all of us to behave just the way the Bible tells us to. If we want to please Him and ask His help, He will enable us to do just that.
(to be continued)
ML-04/26/2015