The Owl and the Birds

The owl was known throughout the forest as the wisest of all birds. Her large, keen eyes could see things that others missed, and her thoughtful nature helped her understand the consequences of events before they unfolded.

One day, the owl noticed something troubling. She saw men planting oak trees in a clearing near the forest, and she observed them carefully scattering mistletoe seeds around the young saplings.

Deeply concerned, the owl called a meeting of all the birds in the forest.

“My fellow birds,” she said solemnly, “I must warn you of a great danger that is growing in our midst. The humans have planted oak trees and sown mistletoe seeds nearby. You must help me destroy these seeds before they can grow.”

The other birds looked at each other in confusion. A cheerful robin spoke up first.

“Wise owl, we respect your knowledge, but we don’t understand the problem. Oak trees provide wonderful nesting places, and mistletoe is just a harmless plant. Why should we destroy them?”

“Because,” explained the owl patiently, “when the mistletoe grows, humans will harvest it to make bird-lime - a sticky substance they use to trap birds. The very plants growing near our forest will become the tools of our capture.”

A sparrow chirped dismissively. “That seems like a very distant problem, if it’s a problem at all. The seeds are tiny now, and the oak trees are just saplings. Even if what you say is true, it will be years before any of this affects us.”

“That is exactly why we must act now,” the owl insisted. “Prevention is easier than cure. It’s much simpler to destroy small seeds than to deal with large, established plants later.”

But the other birds were not convinced. A jay laughed and said, “Owl, you spend too much time thinking about problems that may never happen. We have real concerns to deal with - finding food today, building nests, raising our young. We can’t waste time worrying about imaginary future troubles.”

The crow nodded in agreement. “Besides, even if the humans do make this bird-lime you speak of, we’re clever enough to avoid their traps. We’ve managed to survive alongside humans this long.”

Despite the owl’s repeated warnings and explanations, the other birds refused to help. They flew away to attend to what they considered more pressing matters, leaving the owl alone with her concerns.

Years passed, and the oak trees grew tall and strong. The mistletoe flourished in their branches, producing the sticky berries that humans prized for making bird-lime.

Soon, the forest was filled with traps. Birds began disappearing one by one, caught by the very substance the owl had warned them about. The robin, the sparrow, the jay, and the crow all found themselves stuck fast to the bird-lime, unable to escape.

Too late, they remembered the owl’s warnings and wished they had listened to her wisdom. But the owl, saddened by their fate, had long since moved to a distant part of the forest where the mistletoe did not grow.

Moral: Wisdom lies in heeding warnings about future dangers while they can still be prevented. It is better to take action against small problems than to wait until they become large ones.