Thursday, December 21, 2006

Standing on One Leg

Did you ever wonder why birds will stand on one leg for a seemingly long period of time? Thanks to Google, I found the following explanation from April Holladay's WonderQuest column in USA Today.
Experts say a bird's leg gets three times more blood per heartbeat than the pectoral muscles used in flying, which are the largest muscles in his body. Consequently, he loses much more heat through his legs and feet than through his body. By standing on one leg, he can keep the other leg close to his body, inside feathers, and reduce heat loss.

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