Eli5 Why do birds have such twitchy movement?

Question

Compared to mammals, birds seem to have this jerky, almost robotic quality to the way they move. I was wondering if there’s any explanation for this

In: 1836

Answer 1

Maybe not what you mean but I think their leg tendons go all the way up to their heads, which is why pigeons and chickens for example strut when they walk. I think this is to keep their heads and eyes relatively smooth while the rest of their body jerks about