Evolution, Bird Diversity, and Noah's Ark

Even in upstate New York, we can see a variety of birds at the feeder on our patio. My wife likes to admire several kinds, and we have a bit of fun looking them up in books and online. She likes the two kinds of woodpeckers that drop in, and giving peanuts to the blue jays. Jays are smart, too, which fits because they're related to crows and ravens, considered among the most intelligent birds.

Malicious Advice Mallard is at it again.

In some ways, evolutionists and creationists agree about some elements of speciation. We disagree when it comes to how such varieties came about, and from where. There's no evidence that they came from a common ancestor, and the South American origin story is based on Darwinian presuppositions. We have our presuppositions, too, and believe that speciation of birds that were on Noah's Ark during the Genesis Flood is a better explanation of scientific evidence. This involves the study of baraminology or biblical kinds, terms held in derision by evolutionists because it does not fit their arbitrary, naturalistic classification system. They prefer the word species, but that is not as cut and dried as you may be led to believe.

Birds are remarkable creatures that capture the amazement of just about anyone who takes time to observe them. From watching an eagle soar to staring at a hummingbird hovering in front of a flower, the colors and behaviors of birds display beauty and complexity that bring awe to the observer. Almost everyone notices birds, but some people specialize in looking for birds. Bird watchers (also called birders) make time to look for birds in their natural habitats. Birders are known for keeping lists of birds they have seen, and enjoy going on expeditions to look for bird species not on their “life list” (birders have daily lists, monthly lists, and yearly lists too). My life list is relatively short, only about 150 different species, but I have a goal to reach over 200 by the end of this year.

Ornithologists estimate the diversity of living bird species in the entire world to be around 10,380. (I have a long way to go on my life list). That number almost doubles the number of extant mammal species (5,416) and is almost 3,000 more than extant amphibian species (7,509). The number of reptile species is the closest to the bird number with a current count of 10,272 extant species. Because most of these vertebrates are terrestrial, we have about 33,500 different species of terrestrial vertebrates on earth today. I am leaving out the aquatic vertebrates (mainly the fishes) because they would not have been represented on the Ark (33,200 fish species have been described, and the implications of that are important for creation scientists who are trying to model the diversity of all life from the Flood to the present).

To read the rest, click on "Bird Speciation from the Flood to the Present".