Northern Storm-Petrels can “walk” on water with only seven inches of body length.

Birds are often overlooked and considered small. However, they have so much potential that one may not know of, for humans are unable to fly freely. Seeing the world through their eyes is an eye-opening experience.

The Northern Storm-Petrel is a fascinating bird that resides by the coast. These birds exhibit the physical characteristics of square tails, long skulls, long legs, and short wings, making them vastly different from other birds. Moreover, they are capable of floating on water with their wings extended. Their wings are folded into a V shape, demonstrating their strength as they fly through the wind. This action allows them to keep their heads still while searching for food: plankton.

It is true that Antarctica is the coldest place on Earth, but these Storm-Petrels don’t seem to mind. In their opinion, breeding in a colder area is more comfortable. The only place where humans cannot live is a place where these creatures can live. Humans shouldn’t underestimate these little guys because they are capable of so many things other than flying, which humans are not.

A fascinating aspect of their bills is that they have a special organ that includes tubes. Through these tubes, they can filter salt water from their bodies. They do so through their nostrils, which is different yet similar to humans. The salt can thus be considered to have sneezed out in a personified manner.

Last but not least, they dig their own burrows. To do so, they dig them; they really are nocturnal. One may infer that they are quite intelligent as they know that once they become diurnal, they would be subject to getting eaten by their predators: gulls and skuas. Yes, they have a smaller head and brain than humans, causing some to believe that they are not smart, but dimensions do not define their mental capacity and powers of reasoning regarding what they do.

Through these, one can see that despite such a diminutive size, spending time learning about them can help humans become more understanding toward one another. Numerous dissimilarities may pull the rope to either side, but before it manages to break from tension, connecting the facts aid substantially. What one side cannot do, the other side comes in to fill in the gap, the reason for why it is so far-reaching to complete the empty parts of knowledge.

Elizabeth Gao/IVA 10th Grade

<Elizabeth Gao/IVA 10th Grade>