Why Do Birds Bob Their Heads When They Walk
Olivia Luz
While flying the background is in motion while walking they bob their heads to make the objects visible.
It might help the bird walk. Birds on the other hand cant do this. The bob is actually an illusion scientists discovered in an experiment. Then the head shoots forward to catch up.
Some theories as to why they do this are to keep their balance or to provide depth perception but most scientists agree that the real reason for why chickens bob their head when they walk is to maintain an acute sense of their surroundings. Instead of moving their eyes to keep something in centre vision they use their necks. In the same study as the treadmill experiment researchers filmed pigeons in their natural environment. If you look out the window you will notice that items closer to you will seemingly move faster than items at a distance.
It is a means of judging distances. When birds hop they hunch down then launch their heads and the rest of themselves forward. For balance however in the case of a pigeon their brain is so small that they cannot see. The result is they keep their heads still as long as possible allowing them to see better and remain safer.
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By bobbing their heads they can see how fast things move compare to things behind. Chickens as well as pigeons doves cranes magpie and quail among other birds appear to bob their heads when they walk. Then frame by frame they analyzed the movement of the birds head feet and bodies and. An example of this is driving in a car.
Basically the back and forth head motion not exactly a bob helps it keep its balance when walking.
Source : pinterest.com