Bird Feet Adaptation
Feet carry birds to their food and some help deliver food to the bird. They are designed for running, perching, grasping, wading, paddling and even more.
To hold onto a twig, a bird needs feet with opposing toes that wrap around the branch. Why don't perching birds fall off when they sleep? When perching birds sit, their feet automatically lock on the limb. With feet locked, sleeping birds don't fall. As the bird stands up its feet release.
Long-legged birds can wade in shallow water to reach prey buried in the mud in marshes. The Great Blue Heron's long toes give support for walking on mucky stream and lake bottoms.
Birds with webbed feet can paddle through the water and walk on mud. As a duck pushes its feet back, the web spreads out to provide more surface to thrust the water. Then, as the duck draws its foot forward and brings the toes together, the web folds up so there is less resistance to the water.
In open grasslands, most species walk or hop on the ground to find food.
Parrots use their feet to handle food just like we use our hands. Their nimble toes hold the food and bring it to the beak.
Hawks and owls capture, kill, and carry prey with their feet
Chickens use their strong feet to scratch the dirt and leaf litter to uncover seeds and insects.
Strong-legged flightless birds, like the cassowary, protect themselves by kicking with their powerful feet and sharp claws
Jacanas walk on floating plants without sinking because they have extremely long toes that spread the body weight over a wide area, just like using snowshoes on powdery snow.
