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When preening, a bird (such as this red lory) draws individual feathers through its beak, realigning and re-interlocking the barbules.. Preening is a maintenance behaviour found in birds that involves the use of the beak to position feathers, interlock feather barbules that have become separated, clean plumage, and keep ectoparasites in check.
Position of the uropygial gland, indicated on a budgerigar Uropygial gland of a blue jay. The uropygial gland, informally known as the preen gland or the oil gland, is a bilobed sebaceous gland possessed by the majority of birds used to distribute the gland's oil through the plumage by means of preening.
African penduline-tit (Anthoscopus caroli) hanging from the end of a branch and gleaning.. Gleaning is a feeding strategy by birds and bats in which they catch invertebrate prey, mainly arthropods, by plucking them from foliage or the ground, from crevices such as rock faces and under the eaves of houses, or even, as in the case of ticks and lice, from living animals.
Among animals, birds spend considerable time preening their feathers. This is done to remove ectoparasites, keep the feathers in good aerodynamic condition, and waterproof them. To do that, they use the preen oil secreted by the uropygial gland, the dust of down feathers, or other means such as dust-bathing or anting.
Preening, personal grooming of a bird's feathers especially by using its beak; Preen gland, also called the uropygial gland, an oil gland found in many bird species; Preen oil, an oil made by the uropygial gland found in many bird species
A similar but separate practice, usually performed by an avian veterinarian or an experienced birdkeeper, involves clipping, filing or sanding the beaks of captive birds for health purposes–in order to correct or temporarily alleviate overgrowths or deformities and better allow the bird to go about its normal feeding and preening activities.
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These birds are all insectivorous and most active at dawn, dusk and over night. [2] In addition, a distinguishing feature of this family is the pectinate claw, which these birds use for preening. [6] The Caprimulgidae family is divided into two subfamilies: the nighthawks or Chordeilinae and the nightjars or Caprimulginae. [6]