Bird toes are shaped to put their best foot forward

All bird feet are not the same. One size does not fit all.

Different birds have different jobs in this world, and their feet, one of the main tools for the work they do, have evolved to fit the task.

The feet of the black-capped chickadee coming to your feeder this morning are those of a passerine, a perching bird. About half of the birds in the world are passerines. They have very flexible toes, four of them, three pointing forward, one to the rear.

Woodpeckers also have four toes, two pointing forward, two to the rear. This gives them ready grip and movement on trees. An oddball species found here is the three-toed woodpecker, an uncommon resident in northern Minnesota and elsewhere.

On the belted kingfisher the middle and outer toes are partially fused. This gives kingfishers the tool to dig the embankment burrows in which they nest.

Hawks and owls have four toes widely separated for increased gripping power. Owls can turn their outer toe either forward or backward, an adaptation to improve hunting success.

The pad of the foot of the great horned owl is rubber-like and stippled, aiding firm grip. Ospreys have spines on the pads of their feet. Fish are slippery.

Birds that walk, like the killdeer, tend to have flat feet and long toes. The killdeer belongs to the shorebird family, birds often found on soft surfaces, wet sand or mud. Those toes keep them from sinking.

The American coot has long toes partially webbed, good for mud and good for swimming. They feed in the water or ashore.

Wing shape offers a clue to swimming underwater. Wings used for swimming tend to be shorter and wider, like those of coots. Long, slim, loon-like wings are not used underwater.

The common loon, our loon, has feet set so far back on its body that they are like propellers on a boat. Loons are awkward on land but adept at hunting for food underwater. They propel themselves with feet alone.

Double-crested cormorants also fish for a living. Under water, they use both feet and wings to swim.

Ring-necked pheasants, like some other game birds, use strong legs and strong claws to scratch for seeds. Ptarmigan, members of the grouse family, walk on snow with feet heavily feathered, functioning as snowshoes.

An odd bit about ptarmigan, birds of high elevation or high latitude: In the winter of 1933-34 there was a willow ptarmigan invasion in Roseau, Lake of the Woods and St. Louis counties — over 200 were seen. Another was reported in 1964. A lone rock ptarmigan was seen in Grand Marais in 1965.

Back to feet: Smaller birds with shorter legs, particularly species favoring trees, hop on land. Birds with longer legs are more likely to walk. Some, like American robins, do both, depending on need.

A hopper in a hurry might run. Scientists believe this is a decision based on economy: With short legs you invest energy best by hopping, with longer legs by taking steps.

Feet are one way birds have evolved to fit into particular environmental nooks. You can learn a lot about a bird by looking at its feet.

Lifelong birder Jim Williams can be reached at woodduck38@gmail.com.