why do birds bob thier heads when they walk?

Answer 1

We do it because it shows we have style.

Answer 2

Basically the back-and-forth head motion--not exactly a bob--helps it keep its balance when walking. The legs are located pretty far astern, and if it kept its head forward all the time it would probably tip over

also..Scientists have long supposed that head bobbing in cranes, pigeons, egrets, and other birds has something to do with vision. The idea is that a bird sees details best when its head is steady and makes distance estimates best when its head is moving. Mammals—including people—and probably some types of birds jerk their eyes instead of their heads to achieve the same effect.

Answer 3

taken from a another section of questions here

applies to all birds

From The Straight Dope website:

"Basically the pigeon's back-and-forth head motion--not exactly a bob--helps it keep its balance when walking. The pigeon's legs are located pretty far astern, and if it kept its head forward all the time it would probably tip over. This would expose the pigeon to the ridicule of the community. Instead, what it does is move its chest forward in time with one leg, and its head forward in time with the other leg. Thus some weight is always trailing a little abaft the port beam, as we say."

Penny Babson
http://www.impressionsbypenny.com

Answer 4

dunno if it's totally true.. but hey.. it's funny!!

Basically the pigeon's back-and-forth head motion--not exactly a bob--helps it keep its balance when walking. The pigeon's legs are located pretty far astern, and if it kept its head forward all the time it would probably tip over. This would expose the pigeon to the ridicule of the community. Instead, what it does is move its chest forward in time with one leg, and its head forward in time with the other leg. Thus some weight is always trailing a little abaft the port beam, as we say. Many fowl have similarly peculiar gaits, because they cannot afford orthopedic shoes.

Answer 5

Checked all the previous answers and no one has a clue. Interesting.
Chickens have a problem seeing while their eyes are in motion.
By repeatedly moving and stopping their heads, they can see what they need to see (like food on the ground).
All young people really need to learn some science, otherwise the USA will end up as a third world country.

Answer 6

They're eyeballs don't move like ours do. They can't just focus on one thing, so if they walked without bobing their heads, everything would be a blur, they bob their heads to get a still image of their surroundings. Check out a birds eyeballs next time you get close to one.

I like the "they are bobing their head to the beat" answer better.

Answer 7

They have Copacabana stuck in thier heads.

Answer 8

I'm guessing that it has something to do with the birds reflexes or something

Answer 9

Because , its a kewl way to walk lol

Answer 10

They're trying to dodge all those pesky gnats !!