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Re: Bobbing head...



>Does anyone have any info on why some birds 'bob' their heads when they
walk, like the Mourning Doves do?

I will quote Audubon Backyard Birdwatcher:
"This is common among birds that walk rather than hop. ...There is a point 
in every step the bird takes when, although the head is moving relative to 
the body, it is stationary relative to its surroundings. At this point, the 
eyes are steady, and the bird can pick out tiny morsels of food or distant 
predators. (Birds that hop take advantage of the pause between each jump to 
scrutinize their surroundings.) The evidence that head-nodding is a means of 
fixing the eyes comes from an experiment in which doves had to walk on a 
moving conveyor-belt. When the speed of the belt was adjusted so that the 
doves were stationary relative to their surroundings, they stopped nodding."

Great book for all birders! ISBN 1-57145-186-2

Leah


Leah Campbell
Blackstock, SC
leahcam@lycos.com
faeriemaiden@hotmail.com


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