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For years, we thought that when a bird perched on a branch to sleep, a specific tendon in its heel kept its feet locked on tightly. Another hypothesis claimed that it’s the internal structure of the birds’ toes that keeps them securely perched. But an experiment suggests that the answer could be simpler. European Starlings with toe tendons removed could still perch and sleep through the night. Learn more at BirdNote.org.
By BirdNote4.8
12101,210 ratings
For years, we thought that when a bird perched on a branch to sleep, a specific tendon in its heel kept its feet locked on tightly. Another hypothesis claimed that it’s the internal structure of the birds’ toes that keeps them securely perched. But an experiment suggests that the answer could be simpler. European Starlings with toe tendons removed could still perch and sleep through the night. Learn more at BirdNote.org.

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