Birdword: An Illustrated Guide To Ornithological Terms
Bipedalism:
Bipedal walking and running are the normal human gaits. Apes and a population of Japanese macaques sometimes walk bipedally. Kangaroos and a few rodents hop bipedally. Birds on the ground walk, run or hop. Some lizards run bipedally, and cockroaches have been filmed running bipedally at their highest speeds.
It always amazes me when driving along you spot a group of Grey partridge on the road and they try to outrun your car—you know you can fly, right? I remember being in Hawaii and as we drove along this road to get to a beach, we came across a group of Wild turkeys. You guessed it—rather than fly, they tried to outrun our car! Birds are so fascinating.
This seabird has an impressive gular pouch but it is not the bird’s only odd feature. He also boasts the largest ratio of wing area-to-body-weight of any other bird species, allowing it to soar continuously for long periods.
Coincidentally, Magnificent frigatebirds cannot swim or take off easily, so they fly over the ocean waters and scoop down to snatch fish and squid that swim near the surface with their long, hooked bill.
