2008/02/13 by Masaki Fujita, Kazuto Kawakami, Sachiko Moriguchi +1 · 1 citation
Engineering · Environmental Science · Mathematics · #Adhesion, Friction, and Surface Interactions #Biomimetic flight and propulsion mechanisms #Amphibian and Reptile Biology #Climbing #Trunk #Biology #Horizontal and vertical #Anatomy #Vertical axis #Geometry #Geodesy #Ecology #Geology #Mathematics
paper · doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.2007.00395.x
openalex publication_date 2008/02/13 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/22
Abstract Legged locomotion of the Eurasian nuthatch Sitta europaea on horizontal and vertical substrates was examined using field observations and experiments. Although previous studies have reported that nuthatches use ‘walking’ on vertical substrates, we found that they usually used ‘hopping’ on both vertical and horizontal substrates. When climbing up a vertical substrate, the feet were staggered in position and small phase differences were observed between the left and right leg movements in the gait. In upward climbing, the body was inclined towards the substrate during the first stance phase similar to other tree‐trunk climbers, but the tail was not used for helping body rotation unlike most tree‐trunk climbers. The staggered position of the feet may allow the legs to play different roles in pulling towards and pushing away from the substrate. In downward climbing, the feet were staggered in position, but the phase difference was quite small. In field observations, the Eurasian nuthatch preferred to move vertically, rather than in an inclined direction.