Baffling Dipper Highlights Design

A cute songbird in the Eastern Hemisphere has traits that clearly show the handiwork of the Master Engineer. The white-throated dipper can be found in northern Europe, but it has relatives in central Asia. Some migrate, others like to set up their homesteads and stay put.

Credit: Flickr / Barbara Walsh (CC BY 2.0)

They are fond of water, and know how to use it. It has diving traits in common with the kingfisher, but it can do that underwater flying thing as seen in penguins. The dipper also dips, and it also takes a stroll along the bottom of streambeds when looking for lunch. A bit of a challenge, since it likes moving water instead of stale ponds and such. Darwinian evolution, with its hit-or-miss purposelessness, cannot give a plausible explanation for the development of its numerous characteristics.

The official bird of Norway is Cinclus cinclus, the white-throated dipper, an ordinary-looking bird that behaves in very extraordinary ways. It’s designed to forage under water, but not like a dabbling duck. Rather, this bird dips, flies, rows, and even walks under water to catch its food. Unsurprisingly, evolutionists have no plausible explanation for how this behavior originated, much less why this small bird is so skilled in these strategic submarine stunts.

You can take a shallow dive into this short article by clicking on "The BirdThat Walksand FliesUnder Water". I should head out west, and way up yonder into Alaska, to see the slightly smaller and less aesthetically-pleasing American dipper.