“It’s fair to say that the extremes of living birds [weren’t] reached until after the origin of flight,” Clarke says. Whatever their origins, those skinny legs are now a central part of ...

Not only are birds silly-looking when they run, but many also look amusing as they hop around on their skinny little legs. Why do they have such weirdly thin appendages to support their body?

bill — the third-largest bird beak in the world. Its giant bill and long, skinny legs make it a formidable ambush predator —standing completely still before lunging forward to grab ...