In my yard on Saturday late afternoon March 15, I observed an American Robin with the appearance of "fat legs."  Looking throught the window with binoculars, I wasn't able to determine if the robin's legs--really the tarsus segment--had extra flesh or if it had been stomping in mud to build a nest.  I'm sure I've never seen a robin with such legs, and they probably use their beaks to tranport nexting materials.

This morning, in better light, I watched the same robin splash in my backyard bird bath and then groom its feathers while sitting atop a fence.  No mud washed from the legs.  Each tarsus appears tan in color, lighter than I would expect in a robin.  Each leg has extra flesh from the feathered tibia down to the toes, tapered a bit at both ends, and maybe with a flap of tissue running vertically at least on one side.  I'd estimate the width of the tissue to be about one quarter of an inch in the widest part.

Otherwise, the bird looked healthy and active.  I need to keep watching to see if the bird hangs around and nests in the neighborhood.  If anyone is familiar with a condition that would cause this strange appearance, I'd be interested in hearing about it.  I'll probably report it to the folks at Smithsonian's Neighborhood Nestwatch, since they have banded and monitored birds in my yard for selected projects over recent years.  Thanks.

Carolyn Sturtevant
Greenbelt, MD