A good and unusual question. Maybe best posed to people who keep birds
in captivity (and presumably in colder places than the species normally
occurs in). Also those who watch roosting waders for a long time may
well have thoughts on this. I suspect from watching canaries and finches
that they don't change their legs for sleeping on (at least not often
enough for what might seem necessary to control heat loss. But I have no
data on that. One thing I do recall though that if one of these birds is
sleeping on both feet it is probably sick or distressed and likely to be
dead in the morning.
Philip
-----Original Message-----From:
On Behalf Of Cath
Morton-Evans
Sent: Tuesday, 25 January 2011 12:18 AM To:
Subject: Unipedal postures in birds?
Just wondering if anyone can enlighten me? Do birds need to alternate
legs to thermoregulate or can they use the same leg each time to do the
job? I understand that the 'rete mirabile' transfers heat back and
forth, but is alternation imperative or will the one leg do! I suspect
it would but am interested in people's thoughts... (I'm not referring to
amputee birds!)
Cheers,
Cath Morton-Evans
Blue Mountains
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