When most animals only stand on one leg, it usually means
that the other leg is not up to par. However, flamingos seem to stand on one
leg for no reason at all. Or at least that was the belief before a study of
captive flamingoes in the Caribbean occurred.
Some Theories
Researchers first looked at the one-legged behavior and
determined that flamingos do not have a preference as to which leg they rest on
more than another. A common explanation of standing on one leg is to reduce
fatigue in the birds' legs. Another is that it allows flamingos to escape
faster from predators by shortening the time it takes to take flight.
The most recent study ruled out both explanations, as it
takes flamingos longer to become airborne and expends more energy to move
forward after resting on one leg as opposed to two. It was also found that
standing on one leg didn't help the birds balance in windy conditions.
An Answer to the
Mystery
The tendency of flamingos to stand on one leg typically
happens more often in water than on land. It is now theorized that flamingos
regulate their body temperature by sanding on one leg. Standing in water
customarily draws away more body heat than standing on land, which explains why
flamingos may stand on one leg to conserve body heat.
If two legs were in the water, they would lose more body
heat than what may be considered healthy. Flamingos also alternate which leg
they stand on to prevent one leg from getting too cold, which could potentially
lead to tissue damage.
Other Neat Facts
Unlike the leg they stand on, flamingos prefer to lay their
head on a certain side. They tend to rest their head on the right side more
than their left. Flamingos that rest their head on the left often are likelier
to exhibit aggressive behaviors with other birds.
Flamingos get their color from their diet, which includes
crustaceans, mollusks, diatoms, and seeds. Due to their diet being high in
alpha and beta-carotene, this causes the pink or reddish color in their
feathers. Different species of flamingos have different feather colors.
Flamingos aren't the only birds to stand on a single leg.
Herons, storks, ducks, and many other birds have acquired that habit of
standing on one leg in water, which may or may not be for thermal regulation.
Flamingos also have a tendency to spend much more time filter feeding in water
than other birds that stand on one leg, so the thermal regulation may not be as
important to the other birds.
Resources:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8197000/8197932.stm
http://www.thewildones.org/Animals/flamingo.html
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