Why do flamingos stand on one leg?

Hi Anurag, The most common theories, though, relate to hunting and energy conservation. Since a flamingo's legs are so long and make up the majority of the bird's height, it takes a lot of energy to pump blood through both legs. That's a big strain on the heart. It's possible that pulling up one leg to rest, and tucking it up into the body, allows the heart to more easily pump blood through the body, since only one leg is fully extended. At the same time, it could conserve body heat. It's like wrapping your arms around your torso to stay warm in cold weather; the more compact you make your body, the easier it is to warm up. Since flamingos do sometimes live in cold weather, it's likely that standing on one leg has something to do with saving body heat. It's an imperfect theory, though, since flamingos stand on one leg in hot weather, too. A flock of pink flamingos stand out against the blue waters of Lake Nakuru in Kenya. A flock of pink flamingos stand out against the blue waters of Lake Nakuru in Kenya. Keren Su/Photodisc/Getty Images Another common theory relates equally to both warm and cool climates. There are many scientists who think flamingos keep just one leg in the water in order to better camouflage themselves. A lagoon has lots of long, thin objects in it, including reeds and small trees. A flamingo on one leg could resemble a tree with a thin trunk leading to a much bigger top - especially when seen from in the water, which is where a flamingo's prey lives. This theory would make more sense if the flamingo's prey were a bit more sight-driven, though. Shrimp, mollusks and algae don't seem to spend much time looking out for hungry birds. So nobody is sure exactly why flamingos do it. But there's an interesting anatomical mechanism that may help explain how they do it. A flamingo's ankle is where you'd expect the knee to be - near the middle of the leg. The knee is so far up on the leg, it's usually hidden by the body. That ankle has something a human ankle doesn't - the joint actually snaps shut to literally lock the foot-to-leg junction in place. Some scientists think this locking mechanism might be the key to a flamingo's incredible balancing act [source: Necker]. All the best.

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