Hello there!!

Hello there!!, a photo by Megan Lorenz on Flickr.

Cold Burrowing Owl at Dusk
Cape Coral, Florida

Birds stand on one leg because of an adaptation called “rete mirabile” where the arteries that transport warm blood into the legs lie in contact with the veins that return colder blood to the bird’s heart. By tucking one leg up, birds reduce the amount of heat lost through their unfeathered limbs by half.