Three small white herons that are Snowy Egrets (Egretta thula) each perch on one leg while resting on a boat dock in Newport Harbor at Newport Beach in Southern California, USA. The main reason for this peg-legged stance is to help maintain body heat by keeping the other leg tucked up into their feathers for warmth. The arteries that transport warm blood into the legs lie in contact with the veins that return colder blood to the bird's heart, so by standing on one leg, a bird reduces by half the amount of heat lost through its nonfeathered limbs.
Three small white herons that are Snowy Egrets (Egretta thula) each perch on one leg while resting on a boat dock in Newport Harbor at Newport Beach in Southern California, USA. The main reason for this peg-legged stance is to help maintain body heat by keeping the other leg tucked up into their feathers for warmth. The arteries that transport warm blood into the legs lie in contact with the veins that return colder blood to the bird's heart, so by standing on one leg, a bird reduces by half the amount of heat lost through its nonfeathered limbs.
Size: 3695px × 2868px
Location: Newport Harbor, Newport Beach, California, USA
Photo credit: © Michele and Tom Grimm / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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