How Can Birds Sleep on Thin Branches Without Falling?

We are used to seeing animals sleeping in trees. Koalas, sloths, pandas, monkeys… But all of these animals, It somehow clings to the trees.

But what about the birds? How come he doesn’t even have muscular arms to hug branches? Sleeping even on thin tree branches can they succeed?

Birds have a feature that we do not have.

Think about the times you fell asleep while standing on the bus. Your muscles relax, it becomes difficult for you to balance… In fact, the same is true for birds. It must not be easy to sleep while standing on a branch. However, they something we can’t do doing.

When a bird lands on a branch; squatting slightly, claws bend automatically and clings tightly to the branch. This locking mechanism stretches the tendons by bending the knee and ankle, thus bending the bird’s three fingers in the front and one in the back.

This feature is called “automatic perching mechanism”.

This mechanism, which we can also see in other animals, occurs between the tendon and the sheath due to the rough surface of the tissue covering the tendon. by creating friction It allows the leg to be locked.

Its only usefulness is not holding on to something.

This automatic perching mechanism is the reason why parrots can hang upside down. Moreover, it is not only used in such situations. Let them climb, swim and hang It also helps.

In fact, thanks to these features, birds of prey fly to a safe place to feed with the help of the same mechanism. It can hold its prey tightly. In short, these qualities of birds are among the most important features they have.

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