Amazing Animals: Chook, The Superb Lyrebird

Amazing Animals: Chook, the Superb Lyrebird

Bible Blast: Read 1 Corinthians 9:22-23

I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. 1 Corinthians 9:22

Say you’re walking through the forest with friends when suddenly you hear a car alarm. Huh? Then you stop in your tracks because you hear a baby crying and construction workers hammering. You and your friends search all over until you finally find the source of the sounds: a bird.

The Superb Lyrebird lives in Australia, and it is a master at mimicking sounds, especially when it’s trying to attract a mate. It can copy the sounds of any other bird it hears but also any other noise. It’s amazing!

There’s a lyrebird named Chook who lives at the Adelaide Zoo in Australia. Chook amazes visitors and workers at the zoo by perfectly mimicking sounds from the construction of a panda exhibit. When you check out the video of Chook online for your Girl Gab, you’ll hear sounds of saws, hammers, and whistling from the construction workers! It’s just unbelievable!

I wonder what’s in the throat or voice box of the lyrebird to give it the ability to make those sounds. It’s almost as if it has a little recorder in it! And even beyond its mimicking abilities, the lyrebird is a super fancy bird with long, extravagant tail feathers. The male lyrebird goes into the most complicated songs it can make to see if it can attract a lovely female lyrebird.

The apostle Paul knew it was important to try to reach every kind of person with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Like it says in today’s focus verse, he did what he could to find a common ground with everyone he came across in order to bring each one to salvation. Paul didn’t try to become exactly like the people he was around, like the lyrebird, but he did try to make them feel welcome in his conversation with them because doing so might provide an opportunity to share Christ.

Girl Gab: First, check out a video of Chook the Superb Lyrebird at the Adelaide Zoo online. Next, think if there’s anybody you know who you don’t have much in common with, but you really want to tell about Christ. Ask God for a creative connection with that person.