The bend in a flamingo’s leg is not its knee, but ankle. Its knee is close to its body and is hidden by its plumage. The bird is often found to be standing on one leg, while tucking the other into its feathers. This it does to preserve its body temperature.
When the researchers’ first idea for testing flamingos’ balance — walking over to the birds in a zoo and giving them “a little prod” — was rejected, they turned to studying flamingo cadavers. To their surprise, they found that while a dead flamingo can’t stand on two legs, it can still balance on one. When the researchers began studying live flamingos — by watching them until the birds dozed off — they found out flamingos’ balance became better as they fell asleep.
Though the researchers might be one step closer to figuring out how flamingos stand on one leg, the question of why they do so remains a mystery. Flamingo studier Matt Anderson, of St. Joseph’s University, pointed out to The Atlantic that if standing on one leg saved flamingos so much energy, “one would expect flamingos to employ the one-legged resting stance constantly.”
Picture Credit : Google
