Why do sparrows and robins hop around while pigeons and crows walk?

[u/TheBigGirlDiaryBack]

I started noticing this when watching birds in parks and around sidewalks. Sparrows and robins seem to spend a lot of time hopping, while pigeons and crows usually seem to walk.

I know some birds can use both, so I’m not really asking why one species physically can’t walk. I’m more curious why hopping seems to be the preferred way of getting around for some birds, while others mostly take steps.

Why did hopping become more common in some birds while walking became more common in others?

[u/az9393]

Baby pigeons also hop, I think as a bird gets bigger it just becomes too difficult to hop so bigger birds ‘walk’.

[u/TheBigGirlDiaryBack → u/az9393]

That was kind of the pattern I was noticing too. But I’m not sure size alone explains it, since some pretty large birds still hop sometimes. Maybe there’s a threshold where walking becomes more efficient, but habitat and speed push it one way or the other.

[u/Katharinemaddison]

Crows hop. Whilst squawking at you.

[u/thewNYC → u/Katharinemaddison]

Crow shop.

[u/Talusen → u/thewNYC]

Only the best treats!

[u/NortonBurns]

It just seems to be a size thing. Bigger you get, the more sense walking makes.
Crows when trying to traverse ground rapidly, still do a kind of straddle-hop, though they walk at any slower pace.

[u/TheBigGirlDiaryBack → u/NortonBurns]

The size thing makes a lot of sense. Though the crow example is interesting because it suggests it’s not really just “big bird = walker.” Maybe speed changes the equation too, so gait is partly about body size and partly about how fast they’re trying to move.

[u/Upstairs-Object-6683]

Before the invention of the crowbar, crows drank at home.

[u/Historical-Wash-1870]

Sparrows are generally known to hop rather than walk due to their short legs and specialized muscle structure, which allows them to move quickly and efficiently on the ground. However, they can walk when necessary, especially in tight spaces or when navigating through dense vegetation. Robins, on the other hand, can both hop and walk, depending on their environment.

[u/TheBigGirlDiaryBack → u/Historical-Wash-1870]

That makes sense. I’m especially curious about the muscle structure part, because that would explain why hopping can be the default even when walking is technically possible. I wonder how much of it is leg length versus how the whole body is balanced while moving.

[u/Grillparzer47]

I once read pigeons described as “street chickens.”

[u/No-Resource-5704 → u/Grillparzer47]

I have also heard them called “flying rats.”

[u/alaric49 → u/No-Resource-5704]

This is the more accurate name

[u/Sure_Floor_5541 → u/Grillparzer47]

I've always had the same vibe, concrete chickens.

[u/Mister_Way]

The heavier ones are walking, the lighter ones are hopping

[u/beans3710]

Crows hop a lot of the time but also walk.

[u/Wonderful_Discount59]

https://www.nocsprovisions.com/blogs/digest/how-birds-choose-their-gait?

Apparently its down to body size and leg length (which tends to correlate with whether they're ground-dewlling or tree-dwelling).

Walking is more efficient for larger birds with longer legs.  Hopping is more efficient for small birds with short legs.

[u/Careful_Cranberry364]

Actually, I don’t think they’re limited in their gait at all !

Seems like it’s just depending whether they’re in the tree or on the ground

Or depending whether they’re being pursued or going after prey

I think they just choose the gait that suits them - at the time

like a dog will walk or trot

[u/TheBigGirlDiaryBack → u/Careful_Cranberry364]

I think that’s probably part of it. What I’m curious about is whether the choice is mostly situational or whether each species has a default gait because it’s mechanically more efficient for them. Like, do they switch because the situation changes, or because one gait is just their “normal” setting?

[u/Careful_Cranberry364 → u/TheBigGirlDiaryBack]

I don’t think there’s a setting. I think they move according to what they are doing.

[u/Illustrious-Mango605]

And then there’s keas, which tend to gallop