People’s feet are a little bit different—some are longer, some are wider. But most of all they all look pretty much the same.

Bird Feet

By Moira Whitehouse PhD

But not Bird FeetThey come in many different shapes and sizes

Perching birds have four bendable toes three pointing forwards and one backwards. Why would perching birds need these kinds of feet?

Yes, these feet would be perfect for these birds who need to grasp and hold on to branches.

Woodpeckers have two toes pointing frontwards and two pointing backwards with sharp claws. Why would woodpeckers needs these kind of feet?

Yes, these feet would be perfect for a bird that climb up or hang upside down on trees trucks.

Water birds like ducks have webbing (skin) between their toes.Why would birds who live in water need these kind of feet?

Yes, webbed feet, almost like flippers, are perfect for those birds that swim in water.

Wading birds like herons have long toes which spread their weight over a large area. Why would wading birds need these kind of feet?

In soft sticky mud, things sink down and get stuck. These feet are perfect for birds who live near water helping them walk on top of the mud without getting stuck.

Raptors such as hawks, eagles and owls use their long claws (talons). Why would those birds need these kind of feet?

These birds eat animals such as mice, squirrels, and fish. Talons like these are perfect to capture, kill and carry prey.

Flightless fast running birds such as emus has strong feet with a flat base and three toes. Why would birds like this need these kind of feet?

Since these birds do not fly, they need to be able to run. With these feet they can run really fast to catch food and escape enemies.

So why do you think that birds have all these different kinds of feet?

Teacher: The following page may be printed for a student exercise.

Students should draw a line connecting each of the feet in the center column with the kind of bird in the outside columns that has that type of foot. Like this:

xxxxxxx xxxxxxxx xxxxxx

xxxxxxx xxxxxxxx xxxxxx

xxxxxxx xxxxxxxx xxxxxx

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