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I've a family of blackbirds living at the bottom of my garden, it's only this summer I've noticed they seem to walk/run more than they seems to fly, They dart from one side of the garden to the other on foot, hardly ever see them fly.
I have heard the theory that as they pitter patter across the grass they are trying to fool the worms that it is raining so that they will come up and they can eat 'em.
squiggle
Reference:
I've a family of blackbirds living at the bottom of my garden, it's only this summer I've noticed they seem to walk/run more than they seems to fly, They dart from one side of the garden to the other on foot, hardly ever see them fly.
To move short distances, birds would use more energy to launch into flight and land again than waking/running/jumping.
Extremely Fluffy Fluffy Thing
Nobody knows for sure! It seems to be fairly common that smaller birds hop, while larger ones walk by alternating legs. That sort of makes sense: if you are a tiny bird, you won't get very far with each baby step, so it might make more sense to hop to save energy. However there are plenty of exceptions, even within the same taxonomic groups, and some species (raven, robins, blackbirds) move by both methods.
It would also seem likely that the more ungainly your walking gait is, then hopping/jumping would be a more efficient way of moving over a medium (as opposed to short) distance.
Extremely Fluffy Fluffy Thing
Last edited by Extremely Fluffy Fluffy Thing
Blackbirds and little dunnocks(falsly called hedge sparrows,they are of the thrush family) quite ofter walk/skulk around ground level.They hide in/under shrubs.It's to protect them from hawks etc. We have a aparrow hawk that hunts in the area,it was sitting on my garden fence last week,beautiful bird..Cue very jittery sparrows now who seldom feed out on the open lawn.I put the bird feeders on the shrubs where they have cover.Oh and I chase the local big fat black and white moggie that tries to get them.
kattymieoww

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