Birds of Pray(er) Trivia Quiz

Answer: dove

"And when Jesus was baptized, He went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on Him." (Matthew 3:16 RSV). The story of Noah and the great flood also features the dove. Noah sent out a dove to find dry land. When the dove returned with an olive branch, Noah knew there was dry land somewhere.

Answer: quails

"And there went forth a wind from The Lord, and it brought quails from the sea, and let them fall beside the camp, about a day's journey on this side and a day's journey on the other side, round about the camp, and about two cubits above the face of the earth. And the people rose all that day, and all night, and all the next day, and gathered the quails; he who gathered least gathered ten homers; and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp." (Numbers 11:31-32 RSV).

The quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds in the pheasant family Phasianidae.

The Phasianiadae family is often split into two subfamilies - the Phasianinae (includes 49 species of pheasant) and the Perdicinae (holds the 106 remaining species).

Answer: owl

"I am like a vulture of the wilderness, like an owl of the waste places; I lie awake, I am like a lonely bird on the housetop." (Psalm 102:6-7 RSV). Owls comes from the Strigiformes order. In Scriptures, the owl is commonly associated with desolation. As a Christian symbol, the owl usually represents mourning.

Answer: peacocks

"For the king had at sea a navy of Tarshish with the navy of Hiram: once every three years came the navy of Tarshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks." (1 Kings 10:22). The peacock (or peafowl) refers to the two species of bird in the genus Pavo of the pheasant family Phasianidae.

The peacock with its beautiful array of colors has been a favored motif since the days of King Solomon. Peacocks are also found in Celtic knots (including the Book of Kells), from which sprang the belief that the peacock symbolizes the incorruptibility of Jesus Christ.

Answer: ostrich

"The wings of the ostrich wave proudly; But are they the pinions and plumage of love?" (Job 39:13). The ostrich is the only living species of its family, Struthionidae and its genus, Struthio. The Bible uses the ostrich to demonstrate greediness, gluttony, and waste. See also Lamentations 4:3 ("The daughter of my people is become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness.")

Answer: raven

The common raven comes from the genus Corvus. Before he sent a dove to look for land, Noah sent out a raven from the ark to find dry "At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made, and sent forth a raven; and it went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth." (Genesis 8:6-7 RSV). Before Noah sent the dove from the Ark, he sent out a white raven to test the waters.

Instead of returning to the Ark, this bird "kept going to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth" (Gen 8:7). Jewish legend states that Noah's raven was punished for his failure to return to the ark by being blackened and condemned to eat carrion.

The raven is also a Christian symbol for solitude.

Answer: eagle

The eagle represents the Lord's omniscience and His ever-watchful care. In this way was expressed the Divine intelligence and guard and providence. "And Moses went up to God, and The Lord called to him out of the mountain, saying, 'Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: "You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself."'" (Exodus 19:3-4 RSV). The inspirational hymn "On Eagle's Wings" by Michael Joncas is one of my favorites.

The Bible also speaks of eagles as evil birds - "Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together." (Luke 17:37 KJV).

Answer: rooster

"But Jesus said, 'Peter, let me tell you something. Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.'" (Luke 22:34 NLT). The early Church used the rooster (and its morning crowing) as a symbol of the Jesus's resurrection. The rooster has become a Biblical symbol of an aroused conscience and awareness of God.

Answer: sparrows

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."
(Matthew 10:29-31 ESV). This verse is meant to demonstrate God's love and care for people. If God cares for every need of sparrows, then people (who are more valuable than birds) need not worry about God's love.

Answer: turtledove

"The flowers appear on the earth; The time of singing has come, And the voice of the turtledove Is heard in our land." (Song of Solomon 2:12 NKJV). Turtle doves are in the genus Streptopelia in the Columbidae bird family. The dove is the symbol of the Holy Spirit. Given their reputation for taking only one mate to whom they are faithful for life, turtledoves are also a symbol of Christian fidelity.