Birds

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[2:171] The example of such disbelievers is that of parrots who repeat what they hear of sounds and calls, without understanding. Deaf, dumb, and blind; they cannot understand.

Parrots are very intelligent creatures. They understand what their owners say to them, and can even learn to do tricks on command. But do parrots understand what they say when they’re talking? The short answer is yes because parrots have been studied in scientific settings. They can do simple math, count, and respond to questions accurately. Many parrots and macaws mimic human speech, just as the verse above says. But they also can show that they understand what they’re saying. This requires “abstract representation. Parrots are able to translate spoken words into their own body language, thus creating an entirely new code.” Many of these birds don’t just mimic words spoken to them, but answer with appropriate phrases. “The macaws, in particular, tend to pick up on small details in conversations and repeat them back later with different people.” Many parrots learn their names and recognize their owners. They have excellent memories.

Another highly intelligent bird is the raven. There have been many experiments with ravens figuring out how to get food through a series of complex actions. And we know of the raven’s intelligence because the Quran tells us.

[5:30] His ego provoked him into killing his brother. He killed him, and ended up with the losers. [5:31] GOD then sent a raven to scratch the soil, to teach him how to bury his brother’s corpse. He said, “Woe to me; I failed to be as intelligent as this raven, and bury my brother’s corpse.” He became ridden with remorse.

There are ten raven species throughout the world, with two of those inhabiting the United States. The common raven is the most common!

And the Quran tells us of another intelligent bird, the hoopoe. The hoopoe is a medium-sized bird with broad black and white wings which enable it to be a strong flier. The rest of its body varies from a bright rust to dull tan shades. It also has a prominent rust-colored crest on its head with black feather-tips. Hoopoes are generally found in Europe, Asia and Africa, living in areas of sparse vegetation.

The primary call of a hoopoe is 3-syllable ‘oop-oop-oop’. One can also observe croaks and hisses, when spotting predators or other sources of alarm.

Hoopoes sing to attract mates, then stay with one mate throughout the season, nesting in a tree or wall, then laying 10-12 eggs. The female sits on the nest and the male brings the food. They protect the nest with a foul-smelling secretion from the female, which she uses to coat the chicks. The chicks can shoot streams of their feces towards predators, while hissing like a snake. They also stab with their sharp bills when threatened.

Hoopoes are regularly seen on the ground, enjoying sunbathing with their heads tilted back, and taking dust or mud baths.

Science does not record hoopoes using language, but the Quran gives us the wonderful story of Solomon and the hoopoe (27:20-37).

[27:22] He did not wait for long. (The hoopoe) said, “I have news that you do not have. I brought to you from Sheba, some important information.

[27:23] “I found a woman ruling them, who is blessed with everything, and possesses a tremendous palace. [27:24] “I found her and her people prostrating before the sun, instead of GOD. The devil has adorned their works in their eyes, and has repulsed them from the path; consequently, they are not guided.”

We know that both Solomon and David were blessed to be able to communicate with birds.

[21:79] We granted Solomon the correct understanding, though we endowed both of them with wisdom and knowledge. We committed the mountains to serve David in glorifying (God), as well as the birds. This is what we did.

[38:18] We committed the mountains in his service, glorifying with him night and day. [38:19] Also the birds were committed to serve him; all were obedient to him.

[27:16] Solomon was David’s heir. He said, “O people, we have been endowed with understanding the language of the birds, and all kinds of things have been bestowed upon us. This is indeed a real blessing.”

[27:17] Mobilized in the service of Solomon were his obedient soldiers of jinns and humans, as well as the birds; all at his disposal.

Do we need to listen to birds? Well, there really is meaning to all those crazy sounds and movements they make. With practice, you can learn to hear and interpret what birds are saying to some degree. It’s amazing to

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