Bird feet that have three toes pointing forward and one pointing back are called anisodactyl feet. Toes are numbered from inside to outside.
-
Show this thread
-
Look at your feet. See your big toe? That's digit 1. If you were an anisodactyl bird, your big toe would hang off your heel, straight back.
2 replies 3 retweets 13 likesShow this thread -
So, all shorebirds, perching birds, hawks, eagles, wading birds...they all have anisodactyl feet. There are other toe arrangements!
1 reply 2 retweets 7 likesShow this thread -
Let's look at parrots, woodpeckers, roadrunners. They have two toes pointing forward, and two toes pointing back. That's a zygodactyl foot.pic.twitter.com/KpY9PnvXvJ
1 reply 1 retweet 8 likesShow this thread -
Now owls...owls are a funky bird. Check out this owl's foot. There's a lot of flexibility in how owls move their toes.pic.twitter.com/EHxiwOg3rs
1 reply 2 retweets 11 likesShow this thread -
Inner toe of owls can be positioned so that foot looks both zygodactyl (3-1) or anisodactyl (2-2) There are Cretaceous zygodactyl tracks!
1 reply 1 retweet 6 likesShow this thread -
Meet Shandongornipes, a zygodactyl Early Cretaceous bird track from China! http://scienceblogs.com/grrlscientist/2007/03/30/ancient-roadrunnerlike-bird-fr/ …pic.twitter.com/ReMDOAdGRw
1 reply 1 retweet 8 likesShow this thread -
Now this tweet had better work: here are totipalmate feet!pic.twitter.com/I2Knkc29kA
4 replies 5 retweets 20 likesShow this thread -
-
Replying to @vgr
I think that's just the animation: I don't know if BfBs hop!
1 reply 0 retweets 1 like
I will choose to believe they do unless proven otherwise 
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.