>From my understanding hopping v walking is quite simple. Passerines that
>spend
most of their time in trees hop because that is the way they move from perch to
perch. Those that are ground feeders such as larks, waders etc walk because that
is the best method of movement suitable for them.
So when birds that are 'perchers' come to the ground, they hop instead of walk.
Eric Dempsey
Ireland
Peter Pfeiffer asked :
> Why do Kookaburras hop about on the ground ? They look pretty stupid for
> such a large bird. I was watching one in our garden feeding on small
skinks
> and it struck me as wierd. I assumed they would walk around like Magpies.
This is a question that has occurred to me several times about the species
that occur at the Argyle Diamond mine in the Kimberley of WA. The following
species hop :
Yellow-throated Miner, Brown Honeyeater, Grey-fronted Honeyeater,
Rufous-throated Honeyeater, (?all honeyeaters?), Double-barred Finch, Zebra
Finch, (?all finches?), Great Bowerbird
The following species walk :
Magpie-lark, Australian Magpie, Torresian Crow, all waders, all waterbirds,
Australian Bustard, all quails, all button-quails, all doves and pigeons,
Little Corella
Is it roughly a case of passerines hopping, and others walking??
Frank O'Connor
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