Missing toes might be a big deal for a snowy egret, because they use their bright yellow feet to churn up the mud as they walk, scaring snacks out of hiding and into their waiting beaks. But I saw Stumpy foraging in the shallows and the stump seemed to work just fine as a churning device, and the remaining toe seems to be enough for balance.
There's also Stumpy the Night Heron, who's just missing the tip of one toe on the left foot. Kind of hard to see in the photo but enough to make this bird uniquely identifiable.
Having seen the way these guys fight, I wouldn't be surprised if a nasty peck from a rival caused this injury.
Sometimes I see a pigeon or something with a messed up foot and think, "How sad". But thinking about it more I guess that it's lucky in a way: if it were any other kind of wild animal, a bad foot would be a death sentence instead of an inconvenience.
ReplyDeleteIs "Stumpy" like the "John" of the bird world, name-wise? :D
ReplyDeleteKind of like "Candy" is the call-girl of the bird world?
ReplyDelete