makes goose a dull bird. Photo contest entrant Judy Tarves-Elliott sent us a shot of this small gaggle experts database! Turns out, this is common in ducks, geese, and other water birds. “There are two reasons that waterfowl and some other birds stand on one leg,” says Scott Petrie of Delta Waterfowl in Bismark, N.D. “One of them is to thermoregulate—to help adjust their temperature.” Birds usually do this in the colder months; they lose body heat through their feet. “The other reason that birds stand on one leg is simply to rest a leg,” says Petrie. And it’s not unusual to catch a group of geese in this pose: “They spend a lot of time standing on one leg while sleeping.” Sleeping on one leg? In perfect unison and without falling over? Canada’s got talent.
