Feet are a crucial part of a bird's anatomy in many ways, but too often birders overlook the feet of their feathered friends. Birders who look more closely at birds' feet, however, are a good step closer to proper identifications and better understanding every bird they see.

What Feet Tell Us About Birds

A foot is more than just a foot to a bird – it is a tool, a manipulative appendage, even a weapon.

Birds' feet are adapted to their specific lifestyles and needs, and studying bird feet can tell birders a great deal about those lifestyles and needs, such as…

• Habitat Preference: The structure, size and orientation of a bird's feet are intimately adapted to the habitat that bird prefers – where the bird walks, how it may or may not climb or swim, even the climate and temperature.
   
• Strength: The size and thickness of a bird's feet are a good indication of the strength that bird has in its legs and feet, which tell birders how well birds use their feet. Birds with stronger legs and feet are better runners or may use their feet more frequently as tools or weapons.
   
• Health: The bare skin of a bird's foot can show if that bird has severe health problems. Mites or other parasites are easier to see on the feet, and some bird diseases, such as avian pox, create sores or growths on the feet. Legs and feet are also easily affected by fishing line tangles and other hazards that can lead to amputation and other difficulties.
   

• Breeding Condition: Some birds, particularly those with colorful feet, can show off their mating readiness through their feet. During the breeding season, the feet may become much more brightly colored, attracting the attention of prospective mates.

With so much information available just from a bird's feet, it is a good idea for every birder to pay more attention to these underrated appendages.

Identifying a Bird by Its Feet

There are many details birders can glean from feet other than just simple characteristics. By knowing what to look for on a bird's foot, birders will be able to better see the clues that can help them properly identify birds by feet.

• Foot Type: The basic structure and orientation of a bird's foot is one of the best clues for identification. There are several types of bird feet, and even if only the most basic type can be identified, that can help narrow down what birds may be connected to those feet.
   
• Color: The color of the feet and legs is one of the most common ways birds' feet contribute to positive identifications. The brightness and overall hue of the color is a clue, but birders should carefully note when the color may be affected by lighting, mud, water or other factors.
   
• Toes: A bird's toes are intimate parts of its feet, and the length of toes, orientation, color and shape can all be important identification clues. To more accurately judge toe size, note how long the toes are compared to the legs, and consider the spread of the toes as well.
   
• Talons: The talons are vital weapons for many birds of prey, but talons are also important for other birds to grip a surface while perching, to scratch for food, to dig a nesting scrape or burrow or to hold a seed or piece of fruit while eating.
   
• Feathers: Some birds have heavily feathered feet, and the extent of those feathers can help identify the bird species. The size and color of the feathers can be used for identification, and the type of feather – small, delicate feathers or larger, fluffier feathers – is also important.
   
• Body Orientation: Where a bird's legs are attached to its body indicate some of the bird's actions, such as how good a swimmer or diver the bird may be, as well as how comfortable it walks on land or how easily it can perch.
   
• Use: How birds use their feet can be great behavioral clues for proper identification. Some birds walk while others hop, and their steps may be very slow and deliberate or fast and precise. Digging, holding, fighting, scraping, prying and preening are just some of the ways birds use their feet, and studying those actions can reveal more about bird behavior that can lead to easier identifications.

Very Unique Feet

Some birds have such unique feet that the feet could be considered a diagnostic marking and birders may be able to properly identify a bird by just its feet, with the addition of one or two other simple clues. For example, a white wading bird that has black legs and bright yellow feet in North America must be a snowy egret; those feet are so distinct that no other bird looks the same and that identity is positive, even if the bird's face and bill are not easily seen. The bright turquoise webbed feet of the blue-footed booby are equally distinct within its range, as are the colorful feet of many unique waterfowl. The dinosaur-like feet with thick, horn-colored talons of the southern cassowary are another type of very unique bird feet that can be perfect for proper identification.

The more birders know about bird feet, the more birders know about birds, and that's always a step in the right identification direction.

Photo – African Jacana © Lip Kee Yap
Photo – Mallard Feet © Graeme Paterson
Photo – Southern Cassowary Feet © Henri Bergius