A few weeks ago I posed the question: “Why do some birds, particularly shorebirds and ducks, pulled up one leg and stand on the other one?” 
My answer taken directly from the 5th grade humor book was: “If they pulled up both legs they would fall down.”
Recently I learned that scientists actually have a better theory. They believe that by pulling up one leg and tucking it into their body feathers, shorebirds conserve energy. The long legs of a shorebird expose a large surface area to the elements. Tucking one leg reduces the amount of heat lost particularly in cold weather.
In winter, you will often see a duck employ a similar heat saving strategy. A duck will rotate its head and tuck its bill into the warm feathers on its back. Otherwise the large surface area of the bill would radiate a lot of body heat.
Personally, I’m more likely to remember the 5th grade explanation of why birds stand on one leg.
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