The feet of birds give us clues about their habitat and diet.
These strong feet belong to a raptor or ‘bird of prey’, which are birds that specialise in catching and eating animals, such as fish, lizards and even other birds.
The sharp curved claws enable raptors to snatch and hold onto their prey while flying to a perch where they can dine in peace.
Talons of a Steller's Sea Eagle by 4028mdk09. CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia
Red hawk by Peter K Burian. CC BY 4.0 International via Wikimedia
The webbed feet of waterbirds and seabirds act like paddles when they are swimming either above or below the waters’ surface.
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Mallard by Emily Diehl. CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia
Blue-footed Booby by putneymark. CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia
Some waterbirds have half-webbed feet because they also spend time some time walking on land.
Magpie Goose by Dick Daniels. CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia
Species that spend most of their time hunting flying insects in the air, neither walking nor hopping, usually have very small feet.
Fairy martin by Sandra Gallienne. Used with permissionl
In contrast, those which scratch around on the ground for worms and other invertebrates hidden in the soil typically have large, sturdy feet.
Brush Turkeys are a fine example!
Text © Richard Noske 2019 CC BY-NC-SA
Australian Brush-turkey by Joseph C Boone. CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia
More fantastic feet
from Australia and other places
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