Tuesday 19 August 2014

Preening (Part 1)


Second only to feeding, preening is a common bird behavior easily observed in a backyard or out in the field.

Little Egret making sure its flight feathers are in alignment.

Birds can have up to 25,000 feathers so regular grooming that may take up to several hours each day is very important to keep them in tip top condition for various reasons; efficient flight, waterproofing and insulation, removal of parasites and lice that may carry disease, removing tough sheaths from newly moulted feathers and improving their overall appearance to attract a mate.

Black-headed Gull in winter plumage.

Egyptian Goose reaching those difficult to access areas.

Even youngsters like this Juvenile Blue Tit have to learn this tricky and important art very quickly in order to survive.

And finally Mrs. Mallard.

23 comments:

  1. what a great series. :) did a second look at the egyptian goose as it has the same coloration as our whistling ducks. :)

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  2. It's quite the workout! Imagine having to clean each of those feathers every day:) Lovely captures and theme!

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  3. Love those shots! I got to watch my eagle preening too.

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  4. Nice set of "preening" images, FAB. I'm with TexWis, I thought it was a Whistling Duck when I first glanced at it.

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  5. Neat shots Frank! Would be much easier if they could just hop in the shower ;)

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  6. Hello Frank!:) Super theme, and shots of all the birds. Preening really is a fine art!

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  7. Lovely photos. It's serious business keeping those feathers clean.

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  8. gorgeous shots. Especially love the first one.

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  9. Great idea on the cleaning. A very important tasks for these birds.

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  10. Great series and photos; bird cleaning day.

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  11. They are all busy making themselves beautiful. Great captures!

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  12. Fantastic shots, Frank! Great variety of birds engrossed in preening!

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  13. I really like this series. Great captures of an unexpected pose!

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  14. Frank I am laughing. This is so funny. Busy guys, yeh.

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  15. Great captures, especially the Little Egret!

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  16. Geweldig mooi om dit zo voor elkaar te krijgen moet je wel veel werk verzetten.

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  17. Great shots! I have some teenagers who do this "several hours each day" as well

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  18. The little juvenile Blue Tit along with the gorgeous colours of the Egyptian Goose are my favorites and I find it very neat as I took images this week of various birds preening as well, Will not be sharing them for a while though...too many drafts already int the line up ;)

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  19. We all need to keep clean and tidy. Nice shots.

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  20. Nice set of shots - everything in place and a place for everything.

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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  21. NIce preening series. All are keeping those feathers in good shape.

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