birdsoup

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 5^th 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 5^th grade explanation of why birds stand on one leg.