God's Bird List: August 2026

Wings

God assigned birds to the realm of the sky, and He gave them the provision of wings. The Bible also refers to flying insects, of which there are many! Beyond the birds and insects, however, there are very few creatures that can fly.

When it comes to genuine flight, in fact, there is one flying mammal – the bat. All the other “flying” creatures (to the best of my knowledge) do not fly and do not have wings; instead, they glide by using some type of membrane or skin flap. Flying squirrels and colugos use a membrane called a patagium. The Draco lizard uses skin flaps. The paradise tree snake propels itself by flattening and stiffening its body in the air. (Ewwww!) Flying fish use wing-like fins to glide after leaping out of the water. Flying frogs use webbed feet and skin flaps. These “flying” creatures glide 200 feet or less; the exception is the flying fish, which can go over 600 feet. While these few mammals, reptiles, fish, and amphibians show some semblance of flight, they are not the same as birds – not even close.

God sometimes includes the detail of wings when He refers to birds. “God created ... every winged bird after its kind” (Genesis 1:21). “Any winged bird that flies in the sky” (Deuteronomy 4:17). “Even winged fowl” (Psalm 78:27). “Winged fowl” (Psalm 148:10). “The winged creature” (Ecclesiastes 10:20). Like the references to “birds of the sky,” perhaps “winged birds” also seems redundant, but it is God’s reminder of His unique and purposeful design.

There is something enviable about having wings. As a birder, I have often wished I could rise up and hover above the treetops. When birds sit up in the crowns of trees a hundred feet high, I just can’t see them from below. If I happen to spot them, all I see is a white belly – but not the distinguishing features of the head or back. What a view I would have if I could suspend myself above them! How convenient it would be to quickly follow birds from one tree to another or to transport myself to the other side of a lake!

I’m not the first person who has desired to fly. The Bible gives this soul-anguished desire. “I said, ‘Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. Behold, I would wander far away, I would lodge in the wilderness. I would hasten to my place of refuge from the stormy wind and tempest’” (Psalm 55:6-8). How many people have felt like this?! (Especially moms with multiple littles.) The desire is to easily and quickly get away. Even a car is not sufficient for this desperation. If we could fly, there would be no traffic delays, no stops at gas stations, no limitation of path based on the direction of the roads, no limitation of destination based on the existence of roads, no barriers of mountains or canyons or rivers or even oceans. What freedom flight would give! We could escape the trouble that engulfs us.

Flight is the most obvious purpose for wings, but it is not the only purpose. At the most basic level, the movement of wings is a sign of life. I think that is what God is indicating in this verse. “And my hand reached to the riches of the peoples like a nest, and as one gathers abandoned eggs, I gathered all the earth; and there was not one that flapped its wing or opened its beak or chirped” (Isaiah 10:14). There were no living birds in the nest to defend it or protest.

God also refers to wings used for flight. “Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars, stretching his wings toward the south?” (Job 39:26). Some birds fly high, and some birds fly low. Some flights are for short distances, and others are quite lengthy. The hawk in this verse flies high and far with his wings.

Another purpose of wings is for balance, especially in flight. Birds adjust their wing shape for lift or to best utilize the wind currents or rising thermals. This is very interesting with turkey vultures. Except for takeoff, vultures hardly ever flap. Instead, they tilt, shift, and wobble; their constant adjustments help them to stay aloft with minimal effort. Canada geese are also interesting; as they prepare for landing, they arch their wings into what reminds me of mini parachutes on each side, slowing them to drop into their landing area.

Wings are used for temperature regulation. When they are cold, birds fluff their feathers and trap an insulating layer of warm air under their wings. When birds are hot, they can relax or open their wings to release the warmth underneath and to allow air flow - the bird equivalent of removing a layer of clothing. Some birds spread their wings to absorb sunlight.

Another purpose of wings is for shelter. Mother birds shelter their babies from the cold or from threats. “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling” (Matthew 23:37, Luke 13:34).

Wings are a part of the mating rituals of some birds. It is often the brightness of a male’s color that attracts a mate; red-winged blackbirds, for example, will display their bright shoulder patches to impress the ladies. Some birds have a fluttering display as they court. Other birds make noises with their wings during their courtship routines. Grouse beat their wings against a fallen log in increasingly rapid drumming noises. Woodcocks have an elaborate mating flight which can only be described as a dance – fluttering upward spirals, hovering at significant heights, and a zigzagging descent accompanied by wing whistling.

Finally, wings can be used for communication (beyond the mating rituals). Males spread or display their wings to intimidate and assert dominance. An aggressive turkey will thrust forward with flapping to defend its young (personal experience!) A killdeer will pretend to have a broken wing to draw attention away from its young. Birds will shiver to back down from a confrontation and show submission. Fluttering of wings can be a signal to prepare for imminent flight. When mourning doves take off, their wings make a whistling noise, which probably communicates a need for flight.

On a more brutal note, wings also provide a convenient way for humans to capture and process birds. “Then he shall tear it by its wings” (Leviticus 1:17).

Not all wings are created equal. God acknowledges bird wings as distinct from insect wings and angel wings. “After this I kept looking, and behold, another one, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird” (Daniel 7:6).

Even bird wings have variety – strong and powerful eagle wings, weak but effective turkey vulture wings, tiny and rapid hummingbird wings. God designed the right wings for each bird’s function and needs. Future posts will focus on the following species; for now, a record of the different wings God mentions.

God frequently mentions the wings of eagles. (Exodus 19:4; Deuteronomy 32:11; Proverbs 23:5; Jeremiah 48:40; Jeremiah 49:22; Ezekiel 17:3; Ezekiel 17:7; Daniel 7:4; Revelation 12:14). God spoke of eagles’ wings when He wanted to emphasize grandness, power, and speed.

When God spoke of ostrich wings, He was referring to exuberant flapping. “The ostriches’ wings flap joyously with the pinion and plumage of love” (Job 39:13).

When He spoke of dove wings, it was to emphasize beauty. “When you lie down among the sheepfolds, you are like the wings of a dove covered with silver, and its pinions with glistening gold” (Psalm 68:13),

And whatever the reason, stork wings were the appropriate picture in this case. “Then I lifted up my eyes and looked, and there were two women coming out with the wind in their wings; and they had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heavens” (Zechariah 5:9).

There are different wings for different birds and for different purposes. For us earthbound humans who wish we could escape, God says, “Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary” (Isaiah 40:31).

Swallows

The Bible emphasizes the fact that birds belong to the sky, and one of the outstanding bird families to illustrate that is the swallows. When not airborne, swallows typically perch on wires (like electric lines), on small tree branches, or on posts. Swallows, however, spend much of their time in the air.

This is because their diet consists almost exclusively of insects, especially mosquitoes and gnats. The general consensus is that a single swallow eats a minimum of nearly 1,000 insects per day; for some species it can be several thousand. They don’t catch these insects on the ground; instead, they catch them on the wing, darting through the air and constantly swerving around in pursuit.

Tree swallows average twenty miles of flight per day just hunting insects; barn swallows can fly up to 600 miles per day. (Those are the numbers I found. How would anyone know? I think they would have to place a tracking device on a bird to record the flight distance). Swallows can be airborne for an hour at a time without landing. They average four to seven hours of flight per day, and even more during migration.

The Bible has three references to swallows, represented by two different Hebrew words. The Bible refers to the swallows’ flying. “Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, so a curse without cause does not alight” (Proverbs 26:2). A recent post looked at the sparrows, who flit about on the ground, and here we see a different bird behavior: the swallows are known for their flying.

Again, that flight is not without purpose. Flying swallows are hunting swallows. They are capturing insects to feed themselves and their voracious young. It is not difficult to see swallows in flight, although they can be easily missed if one doesn’t take the time to purposefully scan for them. Once spotted, however, they seem to be everywhere.

Here’s a challenge. Find some swallows. They are often found over fields, and they love to fly over open water. Most of their hunting is done below a ceiling of forty feet. Go to a lake and look low over the water until you spot a swallow (or several). Then try to track just one in its flight. See how long you can follow it.

As they fly, swallows sing. Well, “sing” might not be quite the right word. The Bible says “twitter.” “Like a swallow, like a crane, so I twitter; I moan like a dove; my eyes look wistfully to the heights; O Lord, I am oppressed, be my security” (Isaiah 38:14). Different species of swallows have different songs, but for the most part there is not really a melody; the song is more like repetitive or variable noises. It can seem like a chaotic mix of notes that go up and down.

Tree swallows sound like gurgling. Purple martins do gurgling chirps and clicks. Barn swallows make rapid scratchy noises. Bank swallows give a rapid chattering. Northern rough-winged swallows make a repeated rough buzz. The European red-rumped swallow, one of the swallows living in Israel, makes squeaking noises. So the Bible’s “twitter” is a good generalization.

The Bible’s third verse has to do with swallows when they finally land. “The bird also has found a house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even Your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God” (Psalm 84:3). Different swallows have different kinds of nests. Regardless of the type of nest, they have to find that nest, or they have to find the place to build that nest.

Tree swallows are cavity nesters; they find holes in trees, and they also really like bluebird nest boxes. Purple martins are also cavity nesters, but they are social; they like to live in colonies. Traditionally, they have found collections of holes in trees or in cacti, and they favor the apartment- or condominium–style nesting sites put up by humans. Northern rough-winged swallows and bank swallows find dirt banks that they can burrow into. Barn swallows, cave swallows, and cliff swallows find a protected spot: a barn, a cave, a bridge, or the overhang of a cliff. Then they build cup- or cylinder-shaped nests out of mud mixed with grass.

Because of their voracious appetite for pesky insects, swallows are our friends, and they are often found by looking to the sky where they are so comfortable.

Of the Sky

Birding can look different at different times and in different locations. A backyard birder focuses on the birds at and around his feeders. Often birding consists of taking a walk, observing the surrounding fields and forests. Wintertime birding often involves scanning ponds and lakes for waterfowl. At a hawk watch, observers at the top of a mountain review the skies in every direction.

None of these scenarios has an exclusive focus, however. In every case, an alert birder will broadly consider all of his immediate environment. Most of my birding falls into the “taking a walk” context. I’m constantly looking around at the fields, bushes, and trees, as well as any nearby water features. But one of my favorite bits of advice is “Don’t forget to check the sky.”

One of the challenges of birding is learning to identify birds in flight. Because the birds are in motion, it’s difficult to get a good look at them, and the glimpse is often brief. Most birds in flight are not close enough to see their detailed markings. Backlit against the sky, it is often difficult to see much more than a silhouette. I used to not even try.

Over time, I have started to have some skill with birds in flight – but only some! Some birds have distinct flight patterns, like goldfinches and woodpeckers. Some birds sing as they fly, and their songs or call notes identify them – goldfinches, chimney swifts, grackles, and others. Eventually, the shapes in flight become familiar. Bluejays with wings too long for their bodies, robins coming in like bombers, grackles with their tails looking detached like a Dali cubist painting, mourning doves with their fat bodies and pointed tails. Sometimes it is the group dynamic that gives them away - Canada geese, European starlings, cedar waxwings. A hawk watch features constant conversation about the shape of the wings, the length of the tail, the protrusion of the head, and how often a bird is flapping.

This upward focus is a recognition of the single most common thing that the Bible says about birds – that they belong to the skies. When God created the birds, He assigned them to the heavens. “Then God said, ‘Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens’” (Genesis 1:20).

This designation is repeated 37 more times in the Old Testament and 10 times in the New Testament, so 48 times God tells us that birds belong to the sky. The Hebrew, Chaldean, and Greek words used all simply refer to the sky, the place where the clouds are. The words can carry the idea of elevation or of being aloft.

The phrases that appear have slight variations and use the synonyms of sky, heaven(s), and air to define the realm of the birds. These varied phrases include “birds of the sky,” “every bird of the sky,” “any winged bird that flies in the sky,” “birds of the heavens,” “birds of heaven,” “bird of the heavens,” “birds of the air,” and “birds which fly in midheaven.”

The references, for those who are interested, are Genesis 1:20, 1:26, 1:28, 1:30, 2:19, 2:20, 6:7, 7:3, 7:23, 9:2; Deuteronomy 4:17; 1 Samuel 17:44, 17:46; 2 Samuel 21:10; 1 Kings 14:11, 16:4, 21:24; Job 28:21; Psalms 8:8, 79:2, 104:12; Ecclesiastes 10:20; Jeremiah 7:33, 9:10, 15:3, 16:4, 19:7, 34:20; Ezekiel 29:5, 32:4, 38:20; Daniel 2:38, 4:12, 4:21; Hosea 2:18, 4:3, 7:12; Zephaniah 1:3; Matthew 6:26, 8:20, 13:32; Mark 4:32; Luke 8:5, 9:58, 13:19; Acts 10:12, 11:6; Revelation 19:17.

Why is God so careful to consistently refer to birds in this way? It seems redundant. They are birds; of course, they are in the sky. What other possibility is there for birds? Could we have birds of the water or birds of the ground? In fact, we could perhaps argue for those possibilities. For example, a puffin, albatross, gannet, skua, or petrel spends much of its life far out at sea. Flightless birds like the ostrich, emu, kiwi, rhea, and cassowary do exist. However, those seabirds do fly; they simply fly above the ocean. They don’t live in the sea. It is my opinion that the flightless birds were not always that way. I believe that through breeding or genetic abnormalities passed through generations these birds lost the ability to fly. Birds have wings, and they were designed and created to belong to the sky in a way that is distinct from the other creatures.

Here’s a Biblical illustration of that fact. When Noah was trying to determine if the floodwaters had receded, he sent a dove out of the ark. “But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, so she returned to him into the ark, for the water was on the surface of all the earth” (Genesis 8:9). Birds do not belong to the realm of the waters. The dove survived outside the ark only by restricting itself to the sky.

I believe the reason God so consistently refers to “birds of the sky” is because He is setting forth the major animal divisions that He planned. Man has recognized God’s order and has made classification systems. We recognize the animal kingdom. After the kingdom level comes phylum. This is where the insects separate from the vertebrates. The vertebrates then divide at the class level into birds, mammals, and fish.

This is a simplified explanation, of course, but I choose these four categories – insects, birds, mammals, and fish – because they are the four divisions that God regularly refers to. Multiple passages refer to one or more of these divisions, but one time we find all four listed in the same verse. “On every beast of the earth and on every bird of the sky; with everything that creeps on the ground, and all the fish of the sea” (Genesis 9:2).

God made these divisions. The mammals are beasts of the earth, or sometimes beasts of the field. The birds are birds of the sky or heavens. The fish are fish of the sea. And the creepy-crawly insects are assigned to the ground. Evolution would like to blur and blend the lines between these groups, but God created them differently and distinctly. In fact, man wants to blur and erase distinctions on many levels, but God sets boundaries. He has an order to things, and part of that order was to make creatures uniquely suited to function and thrive in the skies.

Sparrows

Sparrows. The very word can make some birders shudder. Sparrows all look so similar – little brown birds scattered on the ground or skulking in low brush. Affectionately (or not) referred to as LBJs (little brown jobs), even the male sparrows can be challenging to identify. The females and babies are even harder.

For many birds, identification is a quick evaluation, often based on general appearance or a single outstanding feature. There isn’t much else that looks like an American robin, a blue jay, or a northern cardinal. With these common (and rather obvious) birds, there is no need to consider all the details. A simple glance is sufficient.

With sparrows, however, details are everything. The pattern of stripes on the head, the facial and throat markings, the presence or absence of streaking, how thick that streaking is, the color of the beak and legs, the length of the tail, a spot or dot on the breast, a hint of yellow by the eye, the richness or drabness of the overall coloring, the overall size. Of course, some sparrows are easier to identify than others, but in some cases, the full range of details must be considered.

There are approximately 180 species of sparrows in the world, broken down into two distinct families, Old World sparrows (just over 20% of total species) and New World sparrows. There are over 40 sparrow species in the US. As to the population of sparrows, only God knows. And He does know! Human estimates vary widely. I found numbers ranging from 800 million to 2 billion to 50 billion.

There is general agreement that the house sparrow by far surpasses all other sparrows combined, comprising perhaps 80-90% of all individual sparrows. This is an Old World sparrow that has spread abundantly: Europe, much of Asia, parts of Africa, half of Australia, and almost all of North and South America. Everyone has seen this bird!

House sparrows are very comfortable in urban areas. They sit on house roofs and porch roofs. They fly up around the eaves and gutters of houses. They hop around on sidewalks. They throng bushes and hedges. They descend by the dozens on backyard feeders. And if you have ever seen a bird flying around inside a big store, most likely it was a house sparrow. (Check the dog food aisle at Wal-Mart.)

After the house sparrow, the next three most common sparrows, existing in similar numbers to each other, are the Eurasian tree sparrow, the chipping sparrow, and the song sparrow.

Sparrows are fairly recognizable; even without knowing the specific species, a lot of people are aware that the small brown birds they see are sparrows. In part, this general recognition is simply because there are so many of them. Sparrows are very widespread, and their diverse habitat extends even to cities. Sparrows are also widely recognized because they are fairly visible. It is not necessary to go skulking through the woods or stalking wetlands to find them. They are very mobile, often on the ground or in low bushes, and often in groups, which increases visibility.

With its rich color and pleasant song, the elusive fox sparrow is perhaps my favorite sparrow. Another beautifully-colored member of the sparrow family is the eastern towhee, which is always encouraging listeners to drink their tea. If I see a sparrow out in the wild, I am likely to say, “Another song sparrow,” as they are quite common. Adorable chipping sparrows are heard more often than seen, belting out their machine-gun fire. By contrast, tiny grasshopper sparrows speak in a whisper. The winter months bring large numbers of white-throated sparrows, (which give their name as Sam Peabody) and dark-eyed juncos.

What does the Bible say about sparrows? The Old Testament has just one reference. “Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, so a curse without cause does not alight” (Proverbs 26:2). The word translated “sparrow” occurs 37 other times in the Old Testament, always translated “bird.” With two different birds mentioned in the verse, it makes sense to translate both as bird species, and the sparrow is a logical choice – both for its commonness and for the action described. The sparrow in the verse flits; it wanders, even aimlessly, moves to and fro, flutters, and takes flight. This hopping about actively is indeed one of the common characteristics of sparrows. The verse suggests that there is a cause for the sparrow’s flitting, which is true, of course. It is constantly seeking food – often grains or seeds scattered on the ground – and so it flits about.

The New Testament has four references (in two passages). The Greek word used refers to a little bird, especially of the sparrow sort, and our Bibles have translated it as “sparrow.”

“Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. … So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:29,31).

“Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows” (Luke 12:6-7).

These verses reveal how common the sparrows were, even in that day. For His illustration, Jesus chose birds that were so common, they were nearly ignored by people. He chose the extreme example to make His point, arguing from the lesser to the greater. These insignificant creatures were overlooked – except by God, who saw and kept track of each one.

The value of the sparrows is also noted. Sparrows were so abundant that they were sold cheaply: two for a cent, or five for two cents. Many believe these common, tiny birds were purchased for sacrifices by those who could not afford anything but the very cheapest option. Maybe those ancient peoples also glanced around and muttered, “More LBJs.”

People see sparrows routinely, but God sees them individually.

Important to God

Birds are important to God. If you have read the previous posts (indicated by *Blog Post Title* below), this truth should already be evident.

After all, God made a point to create the birds. “God said, ‘Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens’” (Genesis 1:20). *Beginning of Birds*

God encouraged the birds to prosper and spread in the earth. “God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth’” (Genesis 1:22). *Global Distribution*

God included the birds in His covenant regarding future global floods, as well as protecting them in other ways. “They and every beast after its kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, all sorts of birds” (Genesis 7:14). *Conservation Practices*

God feeds and cares for the birds. “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them” (Matthew 6:26). *Preservation of Birds*

All of the above is review. Together (or even alone) these realities show that birds matter to God. The tiny birds – and the large birds – do not escape the watchful eye of God and are not separated from the care expressed by His loving heart. But there’s even more that reveals how much birds matter to God.

God made sure the birds had names. “Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name” (Genesis 2:19). Each bird species was worthy of an individual identity. God valued their uniqueness.

God cares individually for each bird, in spite of its small size and insignificant status in the world. Two similar passages support this truth. “Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father” (Matthew 10:29). At the very least, this means without the Father’s knowledge; most commentators believe it extends to mean without His oversight or supervision (providence). God notices what happens to each bird. While that may seem like an exaggeration, it is true that God is omniscient. He knows everything.

As humans, we cannot comprehend the ramifications of omniscience. God knows every minor detail, just as He knows the major events. Humans, with all their collective resources, do not know how many individual birds exist today. I found an estimate of 50 billion. What do we know about the whereabouts of those 50 billion?

We have tried to study birds. One of the significant tools is banding. Birds are captured momentarily, a tiny lightweight band is placed around a leg, and the birds are released. I found an estimate that over 70 million birds have been banded. What good is that? Well, it only helps if that same bird is captured again later by someone familiar with the process and if that person reports the data to the proper agency. What do we learn? For a small percentage of banded birds, we learn a tiny snapshot of information. For example, a bird that passed through Maryland in April 2024 passed through the same location in April 2026. We know nothing of its other travels. We don’t know if it came through in 2025.

Radar is another helpful tool. Radar is normally used for weather, detecting rain or snow. In recent years, it has been increasingly noticed during migration season. The vast flocks of birds migrating in spring or fall are significant enough to show up on radar. Birders can use this data to know when it is a good morning (or a bad morning) to go out looking for migrants. What do we really know from this data? Mostly, we get a broad picture and an estimate. We can estimate how many thousands of birds are crossing an area, and we can guess from past observations which birds might be in that cloud.

Or, there is an interesting technology called GSM. This is a step up from banding. Rather than a tiny bracelet that can be accessed only if the bird is captured again, the GSM is a tracker that sends messages by cell phone. It might send several messages per day, relaying the bird’s location. The battery, with solar recharging, can last up to two years. However, the cell signal can be blocked by clouds or other objects, and it becomes useless if the bird flies out of range.

As far as I know, the most advanced technology would be a tracking device utilizing GPS. I read that tens of thousands of birds (especially raptors) have been tagged with this technology. This device reports by satellite and can give pretty much constant data regarding the bird’s location, to within a few feet. The battery lasts three years, and some can be enhanced by solar recharging. This is used primarily to track migration paths, stopover points, and the extent of a bird’s range. Hawk Mountain in Pennsylvania is currently tracking eighteen broad-winged hawks with this technology. Most of them are in their first year of tracking. Several have been tracked for two to three years, and two birds for four years.

If there are 50 billion birds, and we have tagged 50,000 with GPS (or less precise) technology … I hardly trust my math skills for this, but I think that means we have a good idea of where .0001 percent of the world’s birds are. (Reduced by birds that have died and trackers that have malfunctioned or expired.) For less than GPS technology, that might be only a few times per day, rather than in real time. What else do we know about them? Nothing. We don’t know if they are in a nest or on the ground. We don’t know if they are eating or what they are eating. We don’t know how many other birds are with them or what predators might be approaching. In reality, our knowledge, as impressive as it is, is very limited. And it is in relation to an extremely small part of the bird population.

God, on the other hand, knows the precise location of every bird at every time of the day. He knows their habitat, their nesting site, their companions, their predators, their actions, their food sources, their water supply, their weather conditions. Everything. According the verse quoted above, He knows when every one of them falls to the ground.

A similar verse states, “Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God” (Luke 12:6). The commodity rate is even lower in this verse. Perhaps inflation. Perhaps different pricing in a different region. Although the content of the two passages is very similar, it is believed that the two discourses were given two years apart, in different regions of Israel, and to different groups of people. Jesus’ teaching here is a repetition of the same ideas He had taught earlier. This time He tells us that not one tiny bird is forgotten by God. He remembers each one.

While the incomprehensible knowledge of God is enough to boggle our minds, the intent of the verses is not about how much God knows, but about how much God cares. He cares for each bird, because each bird belongs to Him. “I know every bird of the mountains, and everything that moves in the field is Mine” (Psalm 50:11). He claims and keeps faithful watch over each one. Yes, birds are important to God.

God's Bird List

Wings

Swallows

Of the Sky

Sparrows

Important to God

Storks

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