How many legs does a bird have?

A bird has two legs, just like humans stand on two feet.

Every bird species, from tiny hummingbirds to tall ostriches, is built on the same basic plan: two wings, two legs, a beak, and feathers. While wings help them fly or glide and the beak helps them feed, it is their two strong legs that let them perch, hop, wade, or run.

Why birds have two legs

Birds evolved from small bipedal dinosaurs. “Bipedal” means walking on two limbs. Over millions of years those front limbs turned into wings, while the back limbs stayed as weight-bearing legs. Because birds� bodies are lightweight but strong, two legs are enough to balance and move.

Main parts of a bird's leg

• Femur: the thigh bone, hidden under feathers
• Tibiotarsus: the long shin bone we see
• Tarsometatarsus: forms what looks like the “backward knee” but is really an ankle
• Digits (toes): usually three facing forward and one backward for perching