Except for people living in Florida and Central and South America, few Americans have seen a stork living in the wild. However, many live in Europe, Africa, India and some other lands. They are big birds with long beaks and legs and partially webbed feet. It is a pretty sight to see them soaring through the air, big wings spread out, long necks extended and legs sticking straight out behind.
The open-billed stork is different from other storks in many ways. For instance, it makes its rough nest of sticks near marshes, whereas most others prefer dry and hotter places. But the main difference is that other storks don’t eat snails, while this one lives almost entirely on them, taking them from the water in their shells.
Here’s how the open-bill got its name. Because of the way it gets its food, the Creator has given it a special bill. Other storks have smooth bills, but this one’s is grooved all along the edges. Also, the upper part of the beak curves downward, and the lower part turns up, so that when the tips are together there is a spot left open in the middle. In other words, it is “open-billed.” This together with the grooves helps it to hold the slippery snail shells securely until it has a chance to insert the pointed tip of its bill into the shell, cutting the snail loose and eating it. We can certainly see this specially designed bill is a provision of the Creator, enabling this stork to capture the great number of snails it eats daily.
Open-bills are happy when there is opportunity to ride on the back of a hippo wading in the same spot. The hippo pulls up its own grassy food and exposes snails which are grabbed by the stork. The hippos don’t seem to mind this since they have no interest in snails.
When stork eggs hatch, the little ones are naked, but before long they grow a soft coat of down followed a little later by feathers. Both parents take care of them, shading them from the hot sun by stretching out their wings over them for shade and also bringing food in their throats which they cough up for them. The greedy youngsters eat more than their stomachs can hold, but the Creator has provided for this too. Instead of getting a stomachache, the extra food goes into a pouch in their throats until their stomachs are ready for it.
These interesting birds provide another example of the way God cares for every creature — big or small, as a Bible verse tells us: “In whose hand is the soul of every living thing.” Job 12:1010In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind. (Job 12:10). We are told in other Bible verses how much more He loves and cares for every boy and girl in the world. Have you ever thanked Him for His loving care?
ML-11/16/1986