did you know - Helmeted Hornbills!

In a small area of Thailand and Indonesia, you may discover a unique, odd-looking bird – the Helmeted Hornbill, and when I think about it, I remember Job 12:10 –

“In his hand is the life of every living thing.”

The Earth is full of the creatures God made; some of them are quite unexpected; like the Helmeted Hornbill. Let’s take a closer look at this bird . . .

·        Helmeted Hornbills are rare and difficult to find due to their critically endangered status – people hunt them to get their unique casque.

·        While all Hornbills have casques on their beak/head, only Helmeted Hornbills have a solid casque (similar to elephant ivory, only softer.) This makes them the target of poachers who take the casques for others to carve and sell.

·        Helmeted Hornbills are an amazing example of loyalty and faithfulness – males and females mate for life.

·        When mom Helmeted Hornbills are ready to lay an egg, both parents build a nest inside a hollow tree, then the dad seals the mom inside by filling the opening hole with a special “mud” – leaving a small hole through which he faithfully feeds her while she incubates the egg and cares for the baby for five months!

·        The mom Helmeted Hornbill is completely dependent on the dad to bring food to her, and eventually their baby for this entire time.

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What do you think is the most interesting thing about Helmeted Hornbills? God designed them with their unique look and their strong commitment to family. The best answer for why they are here is because God designed and created Helmeted Hornbills “just right”!

Activity to Make the Point & Have Fun

Helmeted Hornbills are a fantastic example of loyalty and faithfulness. So, let’s do an activity which will help you think about the people in your life who are loyal and faithful to you. You will need the following . . .

 

·        Paper

·        Pencils

·        Markers/crayons

·        Camera/printer

Directions – 1. Write a note, a poem, or draw a picture for your parents, grandparents, other adults in your life who are loyal and faithful to care for you and give it to them. 2. Have someone take your photo and print it for you, then give it to your parents, grandparents, other adults in your life who are loyal and faithful to care for you.

God designed Helmeted Hornbills to be extremely loyal and faithful, so they care for each other and their babies – He put people in your life who care for you as well. This helps us see how the Designer Who designed us, designed them as well.

Think About This . . .

“Today science, insofar as it assumes the reality of mathematical laws, operates with a tacitly theistic assumption about the nature of the universe. The mere existence of this underlying rationality of the universe, its deep ontology, points toward a divine creative reality we can label as ‘God’s agenda’.” – Owen Gingerich - professor emeritus of astronomy and of the history of science at Harvard University and a senior astronomer emeritus at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, author (God and Nature - Volume 63, Number 1, March 2011)

You will find more information about Helmeted Hornbills in my book, Aardvarks, Coelacanths, Colugos & More!, and are able to buy it at this link.