Check out the leg action on this guy

I theenk he might be a she. XD

aww! absolutely adorable! and he’s the same color as his shell!

Surreal! What kind of bird is that?!? Absoluting charming bird with the most surreal legs ever! Great wing feathers, that’s for sure.

He’s all “Now DEES is laig bending my young sand-hopper!” So cuh-yoot!

Oh my.

That whole rocking horse leg condition appears to be hereditary.

Joy –

Black-winged stilt (I think)

I love how the baby is doing a mini-bend!

LOL! What bird is this?

Wow! Really unusual, love the colouring too.

Hope mom is gently with that needle like beak around the chicks floofy bottom!!

Actually its only leg to the joint, then its a foot and the bird is standing on its toes, knees dont bend backward, ankles do, and their knees are hidden by their feathers.

Doncha just love stilty-legged shorebirds? I live near a place where Piping Plovers are protected. They run in and out of the surf, and they look like they should have a kind of “deedle-deedle-deedle” sound effect accompanying them.

“Someday, son, you too will have OUTRAGGHEOUSS orange legs like these!”

::lean back::
::lean back::

BTW, please don’t look at that page that Pheas posted, because it has a picture of a limpet in the upper right corner. And you know the randiest of the gastropods is the limpet. This hot-blooded little beast with its tent-like shell is always on the job. Its extra-marital activities are something startling. Frankly I don’t know how the female limpet finds the time to adhere to the rock-face.

Theresa you should get a job underwriting for Nature or something.

Very cool pic. I understand that those are ankes, but I prefer thinking of them as knees. Therefore, I shall resume thinking of them as knees.
Harumphf. That is all.

Yes, forget what you learned about only mama birds taking care of the babies – lots of birds split those responsibilities! Think of the daddy penguins in March of the Penguins with the eggs on their feet.

For a different link:
http://www.bird-stamps.org/species/54001.htm
Lookit all the countries that have put this bird on their stamps!! Wise, wise countries, I say.

i want to put the babeh birdeh in my mouf.

not to eat or anything, just to keep safe and feel its floofiness.

I’m glad to hear those are ankles, because there’s a sci fi flick where all the aliens masquerading as humans turn out to have knees that bend backwards. SCARY.

Ack! Who substituted my pink bend-y straws for her/his legs!?!?

His legs are the same colour as his eyes!

Bendolicious.

:: raps chalkboard with stick ::

People, the legs are fascinatin’ (as all pretty legs are), but have we forgotten what month it is? It’s NOSEVEMBER for gosh sake! Do not ignore the schnozzola!!

berthaslave – Great minds think alike!

All those wonderful angles and lines…the beak, the legs, the wing tips! And the leetle round eggs!

lol blair.

um… i’m gonna need a COXCU on that bebeh. stat!

lovely.
such delicate lil birds.
baby want the others to come out and play.

Her legs are SO PINK!

yes, need COXCU

It reminds me of those trendy wine racks where you put a bottle of wine in a slanted piece of wood and it “hovers” “magically” there. The bird’s doing the same sort of gravity-defying hovering. Plus, so many matchinks!

If someone else can confirm Rule #23 for me, I think this may be a Coveted Cuteness Trifecta. You’ve got your #12 and your #7!

So, you guys who instantly said “it’s a black winged stilt”, curious how do you know? Are you birdwatchers or is there some way to easily find these things? (sometimes I see birds in my back yard and don’t know what they are. Is there a resource?) And I was surprised how big these are, it said 35 cm which is over a foot long. He/she looks tiny in the photo but is not tiny at all.
Did I mention it’s a wonderful photo and hurray for more like this!?

I can’t say this long enough: “Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww…”

I think this definitely merits an “Unusual Animals” tag.

Beautiful photo!