Why does a heron stand on one leg? Habitat and lifestyle features of the bird Heron stands on 1 leg

The heron stands on one leg for a reason. She has at least two reasons for this.

The first reason is that when hunting, the heron has to stand motionless for a long time in cold water in wetlands. And since the water is colder than its body, the heron can become hypothermic. Since blood circulates through her legs, and they act like a radiator for a car, they cool the whole body. To reduce this effect by half, the heron tucks one leg and stands on the other.

In addition to this, the heron can reduce the amount of blood flowing to the supporting limb. And the countercurrent circulation in the legs of a heron allows the cooled blood from the leg to warm up again on the way back. Let us explain: the vessels through which warm blood from the body enters the heron’s leg are located next to the vessels through which already cooled blood returns. This allows the blood that has cooled in the cold water to warm back up.

And in order not to freeze the leg itself, the heron periodically changes its supporting limb - it presses the cooled paw to the body and warms it.

The second reason why a heron stands on one leg is the hunting method itself.

To grab prey, she needs to take a couple of steps, and as quickly as possible. A tucked leg, standing in the ready position for a jerk, allows you to gain time. These split seconds can be decisive in a successful hunt.

P.S. There are more than a dozen species of herons. They all have long cone-shaped beaks, long necks and long legs. There are no herons with short legs, although there are such birds in the heron family. Gray and red herons nest in Russia.

The heron is a large aquatic bird that, despite its massive body, walks on two long thin legs. In addition, the bird has the amazing ability to stand on one leg. Simple, but interesting riddle nature: why does the heron stand on one leg?

This frequently asked question, which is asked by zoo visitors and biologists, due to the presence of different theories, has several answer options.

Rest on one leg

The reason why the heron stands on one leg, researchers initially called the bird's rest. Zoologists have concluded that this position of the legs helps reduce stress on the legs and reduce fatigue, and also allows you to quickly escape from predators. This theory is confirmed in practice, since herons have a habit of sleeping, leaning on only one leg.

Scientists later ruled out this possibility because studies showed that a heron required more effort to move forward after standing on one leg than after resting on two. Scientists have also found that herons have no preference regarding which leg to stand on: left or right.

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Other assumptions

Another proposed theory, that standing on one leg helps herons maintain balance in windy conditions, has since been rejected. The researchers abandoned some other original speculations, such as the idea that standing on one leg helps the heron circulate blood better by limiting the effect of gravity on the circulatory system.

Body Thermoregulation Hypothesis

Researchers have found that the heron prefers to stand on one leg much more often when in the water than on land. Because water absorbs body heat, this behavior in birds supports the thermoregulation hypothesis.

The thermoregulation hypothesis is that the heron stands on one leg in order to maintain body temperature. While in the water, the heron alternates legs so that the supporting limb does not get too cold, since the water temperature is lower than the air temperature. If the bird were to constantly stand on one leg or put both legs down, it would risk greater heat loss and resulting tissue damage from colds as it spends a lot of time in the wetland. This is evidence that thermoregulation is the main reason why the heron uses only one lower limb when standing.

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Rete mirabile complex

Thermoregulation in the heron's body occurs through a form of vascular branching called rete mirabile (Latin for "miraculous network"), which minimizes the bird's heat loss. This complex of arteries and veins is a heat exchanger that causes the bird's internal leg temperature to become much closer to environment, and therefore the limbs do not lose as much heat as they would at body temperature.

Heron stance as a hunting method

Another popular theory suggests that the heron stands on one leg to appear less suspicious to aquatic prey. Animals, seeing one leg of a bird, mistake it for a plant stem and thus do not see the danger. The bird hunts not only while motionless in the water, but also by approaching its prey in shallow water.

Herons are large birds that live near lakes, rivers and other bodies of water. They are often represented as standing on one leg, and this is completely true. They can remain in this position for quite a long time. But why do they need this? Let's learn more about these amazing birds, and at the same time find out why herons stand on one leg.

Who are herons?

In appearance, these birds are somewhat reminiscent of storks, which is not at all surprising. According to the classification, they belong to the family of herons and the order of storks. Their closest relatives are night herons, bitterns and agams.

Heron birds are very diverse in color and size. Characteristic feature All representatives of the genus have a long cone-shaped beak, thin long legs and elongated necks, which the animals constantly bend with a hook. Many species have a tuft of feathers sticking up on the back of the head. In flight, their neck remains curved, so the birds are easy to distinguish from storks and cranes.

Herons are quite large, but there are also small representatives. For example, the average white, yellow-billed and magpie herons reach only 45 to 70 cm in height. The largest heron is a gigantic one, up to 160 cm high and with a wingspan of up to 230 cm.

So why does a heron stand on one leg?

Those who were lucky enough to watch these secretive birds, could notice their bizarre stand on one leg. It would seem that this position is completely uncomfortable. However, the bird can stay in it for hours without losing balance.

There has not been a consensus on why the heron stands on one leg. There are several theories about this. The main version says that in this way the bird warms up. She usually spends a lot of time in bodies of water, the temperature of which is not always favorable. Featherless legs quickly freeze, and in order to maintain normal blood circulation in at least one limb, the bird tucks it under itself. After some time, she changes their position.

There is another answer to the question of why the heron stands on one leg. Perhaps she needs it for hunting. For a bird tracking its prey, its invisibility is important. Having tucked one limb under itself, it disguises itself as a branch of a tree or bush, without arousing suspicion among the prey. In addition, the bird acts much more efficiently this way. She does not wait until the prey gets too close, but when she sees it from afar, she takes a big step and immediately grabs it with her beak. If both legs were down, the reaction would be much slower.

Habitat

Herons are common on all continents except Antarctica, as well as on some islands. Their diet is based on small inhabitants of water bodies, so the main condition for their settlement is the availability of water.

Birds cannot be found in ice-covered polar regions or dry deserts. Their favorite places are swamps, reed and mangrove thickets, water meadows, slow-moving rivers and small lakes. They live extremely rarely in large open bodies of water.

The great white, red, great blue, giant, and black-necked heron have an extensive habitat. The magpie heron has a very limited territory. She lives only in Tasmania and northeastern Australia. The Madagascar heron lives on the island of the same name, the white-bellied heron lives only in the foothills of the Himalayas and some areas of Asia.

Lifestyle

In nature, herons prefer to live alone, uniting in groups only during the nesting period or in water bodies rich in food. The main food for them is fish. Birds also feed on frogs, small rodents, lizards, snakes and shellfish.

They spend most of their lives near water, but cannot swim or dive. Herons do not have a coccygeal gland, like waterfowl, which would allow them to lubricate their feathers with water-repellent oil. Instead, they have brittle down on their chest, with crumbs of which they cover their feathers. But it does not protect against getting wet.

Only tropical species live in one place year-round. Herons that live in temperate and subtropical regions fly away for the winter. From the north of Eurasia they move to the south of the continent or to Africa, and those that live in North America fly to South America. These birds maintain their isolation even during their travel and never form a wedge or a flock.

Their breeding season begins in early spring. Herons form pairs for one season and do not change partners until next year. Their life expectancy is different. Depending on the species, they live from 10 to 23 years.

The heron is a bird that lives on slow-flowing rivers. It can often be seen in shallow water. The heron is able to stand motionless in the water for a long time and look out for its prey. As a rule, food for this bird is all kinds of living creatures that live in reservoirs. If you watch a heron, you will notice that it stands in the water on only one leg. The second one is usually tucked in and pressed against the body. Many people have no idea why the heron stands on one leg. Perhaps this is one of the ways of hunting? Or maybe that's how it heats up?

Why does a heron stand on one leg?

This question is of interest not only to young children. Many adults do not understand why the heron stands on one leg. The riddle is not an easy one. At the moment, there are several answers to this question. First of all, it is necessary to mention that the water in any body of water is cold, and the heron stands in one place for several hours. Naturally, the bird is not entirely comfortable. It is for this reason that she bends one leg and hides it under her belly in feathers. After a certain period of time, the heron changes its paw. Thus, while one leg is warming up, the other is freezing.

Foraging for food

So, why does the heron stand on one leg in the swamp and on the river? There is another explanation for this phenomenon. The heron feeds on tadpoles, small ones and all kinds of fry. Swimming past the bird's leg, the prey is unable to distinguish it from the trunks of some plants, for example, from reeds. The victim suspects nothing and moves calmly in the water and doesn’t even notice how in an instant he becomes someone’s food. This kind of camouflage allows the bird to get food for itself without any problems. This is why the heron stands on one leg in the water.

Of course, a bird does not always manage to get food for itself while standing in one place. Sometimes the heron has to move in the water. And it’s more convenient to do this when one paw is already in the air. As a result, the movements are fast and accurate.

A little research

For many years, the mystery of why a heron stands on one leg when hunting has concerned many researchers. Until now, no one has given an exact answer to the question posed. Many have sought to uncover this mystery and several studies have been conducted. First of all, it was noticed that the heron changes its legs in a certain order: right to left and left to right. And she does it only in this sequence. Why is this so?

Scientists tried to confuse the bird by attaching several extra legs to it. Such an experiment did not produce significant results. The heron changed its legs in the same sequence, while ignoring the additional pair of alien bodies.

As a result of similar studies, ornithologists from Britain made a final conclusion and answered why the heron stands on one leg. While one paw is in the water, the second dries and warms up. And the bird can hunt in any position if desired. Even standing on two legs.

A little research

For many years, the mystery of why a heron stands on one leg when hunting has concerned many researchers. Until now, no one has given an exact answer to the question posed. Many have sought to uncover this mystery and several studies have been conducted. First of all, it was noticed that the heron changes its legs in a certain order: right to left and left to right. And she does it only in this sequence. Why is this so? Scientists tried to confuse the bird by attaching several extra legs to it. Such an experiment did not produce significant results. The heron changed its legs in the same sequence, while ignoring the additional pair of alien bodies. As a result of similar studies, ornithologists from Britain made a final conclusion and answered why the heron stands on one leg. While one paw is in the water, the second dries and warms up. And the bird can hunt in any position if desired. Even standing on two legs.

The heron has an interesting structure of the knee joint: when the leg is extended, a kind of lock is activated, and the bird can stand for a very long time, while allowing the second leg to rest.

conclusions

Herons live in central Russia, where the water temperature in reservoirs can be cold even in summer. By pressing its paw to its warm belly, the heron quickly warms up. From time to time the bird changes its legs, alternately standing on the right and then on the left.

Everyone knows that the heron feeds on small fish, frogs or beetles, which can be found in shallow water or near rivers. Since each of them moves in a fraction of a second, the bird must react with lightning speed to the appearance of prey. She has little time to throw, so she extends one leg early to make an attacking strike.

Perhaps these are not all the reasons why the heron stands on one leg, and there are other options, because the animal world has not yet been fully studied by us and perhaps very soon scientists will identify other reasons for this behavior that will not be related to the habitat, and with other factors.

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