Staying in Balance

The reason Canadian geese, and many other birds, will balance on one leg is not because of boredom. It seems the birds’ legs have an adaptation called “rete mirabile” that minimizes heat loss. The arteries that transport warm blood into the legs lie in contact with the veins that return colder blood to the bird’s heart. The arteries warm the veins. By standing on one leg, a bird reduces by half the amount of heat lost through unfeathered limbs. So when temperatures drop birds will stand on one leg to stay in balance with the natural world around them.