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Common sandpiper

Birds' legs have an adaptation called "rete mirabile" that minimizes heat loss. The arteries that transport warm blood into the legs lie in contact with the veins that return colder blood to the bird's heart. The arteries warm the veins. By standing on one leg, a bird reduces by half the amount of heat lost through unfeathered limbs. This common sandpiper shows how it happens

 

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Uploaded on March 9, 2015
Taken on January 24, 2015