Why Flamingos Stand on One Leg For Hours at a Time

Hank Green of SciShow corrects a previous video to explain why flamingos can stand on only one leg for hours at a time. He and others originally posited that the flightless birds were doing this to conserve heat, but after much research, scientists learned that flamingos stand on one leg mostly because they can. Their unusual bodies are perfectly adapted to do so with great stability, even when they’re dead.

So what’s up with this? Well, the one-legged posture saves energy and is just easier for the birds. nIn short, flamingos, whether alive, dead or plastic, are perfectly adapted to standing on one leg, and that’s just fine by them.!