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You are here: Home / Science / How Do Birds Sleep and Why Don’t Birds Fall Off Their Perches When They Sleep?

How Do Birds Sleep and Why Don’t Birds Fall Off Their Perches When They Sleep?

May 18, 2020 by Karen Hill

Birds don’t have to work at not falling off their perches when they sleep.

Tendons on the bottom of their feet, called flexor tendons, respond to pressure from a branch or other perch by causing the toes to wrap around the perch automatically.

Humans would have to expend energy to hold on, but birds would have to exert effort to unclench.

It’s the relaxed position, as can be plainly seen in dead birds, which have their toes clenched up.

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Filed Under: Science

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Where Do Pigeons Live and Why Do Pigeons Prefer To Live In Cities and Not In the Woods?
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