Why does a heron stand on one foot in the water?

A heron is a bird that lives on slowly flowing rivers. It can often be seen in shallow water. The heron is able to stand still for a long time in the water and look out for its prey. As a rule, all kinds of living creatures that live in water bodies serve as food for this bird. If you watch the heron, you can see that it stands in the water only on one leg. The second is usually bent and pressed against the body. Many do not even guess why the heron stands on one leg. Perhaps this is one of the ways to hunt? And maybe, so it is heated?

Why does a heron stand on one leg?

This question interests not only young children. Many adults do not understand why a heron stands on one leg. The riddle is not simple. At the moment there are several answers to this question. First of all, it is necessary to mention that the water in any pond is cold, and the heron is idle in one place for several hours. Naturally, the bird is not very comfortable. It is for this reason that she bends one leg and hides it under the belly in feathers. After a certain period of time, the heron changes its foot. Thus, while one leg is warming, the second is cold.

Extraction of food

So, why does the heron stand on one foot in the swamp and on the river? There is another explanation for this phenomenon. The heron eats tadpoles, small frogs, fish and all kinds of fry. Sailing past a bird's leg, prey is not able to distinguish it from the trunks of some plants, for example, from reeds. The victim does not suspect anything and quietly moves in the water and does not even notice how in an instant it becomes someone's food. This kind of camouflage allows the bird to get food without any problems. That's why the heron stands on one foot in the water.

Of course, it is not always possible for a bird to obtain food by standing in one place. Sometimes a heron has to move about in the water. And it is more convenient to do this when one foot is already in the air. As a result, the movements are quick and neat.

A small study

Over the years, the mystery of why a heron stands on one foot when hunting, excites many researchers. So far no one has given an exact answer to the question posed. Many sought to uncover this mystery, and several studies were carried out. First of all, it was noticed that the heron changes its legs in a certain order: the right one to the left and the left to the right. And she does it only in such a sequence. Why is it so?

Scientists have tried to confuse the bird, attaching a few extra paws to it. Essential results of such an experiment did not. The heron changed its legs in the same sequence, ignoring the additional pair of alien bodies.

As a result of such research ornithologists from Britain made a final conclusion and answered why the heron stands on one leg. While one foot is in the water, the second - dries up and gets warm. A bird can hunt if desired, in any position. Even standing on two legs.