This was exactly what Liu Jianzhong a.k.a. Jz was thinking when he stalked a Blue-tailed Bee-eater (Merops philippinus) some weeks back - and documented what it did.

The bee-eater had just had its fill of insects and glided with its wings flapping in slow motion to its favourite perch (above). There, it perched with its wings still held high for some time. Such characteristic “butterfly” display is not unusual among bee-eaters.

Such a display sometimes end with copulation, if there is another bird of the opposite sex present. But in this instance it simply proceeded with its comfort routine.

First, it preened its feathers (above left). Then it fluffed its plumage (above right). All these activities are necessary to keep the feathers in top condition. Then the bird indulged in stretching activities to keep the muscles in top condition and stimulate blood circulation, or so ornithologists believe.

It first stretched both its wings upwards, in a sort of “angel” posture (above). Then it stretched its right wing and right leg together, at the same time fanning its tail feathers (below left). This was followed by the left wing and left leg and similarly fanned its tail feathers (below right).

Finally, it cast a pellet of undigested insect exco-skeleton, etc. (below).

See earlier posts on pellet casting HERE: 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.

All images by Liu Jianzhong.

This post is a cooperative effort between NaturePixels.org and BESG to bring the study of bird behaviour through photography to a wider audience.

Bee-eaters are known to spend up to 10% of daylight hours in comfort behaviour of some kind or other (above). These are mainly aimed at keeping their plumage in top condition.

During rest, these birds can usually be seen going through some of their stretching activities. A common posture is the raising of both forewings above the back with the wrists nearly touching (below left).

The bird then stretches one wing at a time – downwards and backwards (above right). This spreads out the primary flight feathers and possibly air them. At the same time as it stretches a wing, it fans out the tail feathers, more towards the side of the stretching wing (below).

Stretching activities are often accompanied by a bout of active preening.

These activities are believed to help prepare muscles and stimulate blood circulation for subsequent activities. They may also have something to do with feather maintenance.

When indulged with other birds of the same species, such comfort behaviour plays an important role in group social activity.

Images from top to bottom: Blue-throated Bee-eater (Merops viridis) by Dr Jonathan Cheah Weng Kwong, Blue-tailed Bee-eaters (Merops philippinus) by YC and Blue-throated Bee-eater by Johnny Wee.

Reference:
Fry, C.H. (2001). Family Meropidae (Bee-eaters). Pp. 286-341 in: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Sargatal, J. eds. (2001). Handbook of the birds of the world. Vol. 6. Mousebirds to Hornbills. Barcelona: Lynx Editions.

An earlier post on the Chestnut-bellied Malkohas (Phaenicophaeus sumatranus) sunning provided the opportunity for us to examine closely the conditions of the wing feathers. We were surprised to see that more than a few feathers were in a bad condition. They were clearly worm out as compared to the other near-perfect feathers (see images below).

Feathers are dead structures. They become brittle with time and get physically damaged when in contact with the surroundings. They are also attacked by various ectoparasites like lice and mites. These parasites feed on the feathers as well as the skin.

Preening, besides keeping the feathers in top condition, helps to physically remove ectoparasites. Another method of parasite removal is anting. This can be active or passive. In the former the bird picks up the ants and place then on its feathers. Passive anting involves the bird lying on an ants’ nest to allow the ants to swarm over its body.

Water bathing, dust bathing and sunning are also methods of keeping the feathers in tip top conditions and to get rid of ectoparasites. Some birds have been reported to place fresh leaves in the nest, leaves that contain specific chemicals that can deter these parasites.

Feather maintenance helps to prolong the life of the feathers. They cannot put off damage indefinitely. So birds moult regularly, whereby damaged, broken or worn out feathers are replaced during the moulting cycle.

All images by KC Tsang.

In May 2008, Steven a.k.a. sharkspin photographed an Oriental Magpie Robin (Copsychus saularis) having a bath in a stream at Panti Forest Reserve, Johor, Malaysia (above). This reserve has been the Mecca of birders and photographers from Malaysia and neighbouring Singapore. The area is home to over 250 bird species, including several Sunda endemics and globally threatened species.

The Oriental Magpie Robin in this case was seen standing in the shallow water of the stream and vigorously ruffling its feathers (above). It also shook its wings and dipped its breast area into the water (below). Such actions allow droplets of water to get between the feathers and in the process, wash away dirt that collect on them.

After bathing, birds need to dry themselves immediately. Why? A wet bird may not be able to fly efficiently and thus can be quite helpless when confronted by a predator. Drying involves vigorously shaking itself to throw off the water droplets. The wings will also be shaken and flapped and the feathers fluffed.

After excess water droplets are got rid of, birds usually indulge in preening their feathers to keep them in perfect condition.

Bathing in streams and puddles is one of the ways birds maintain their feathers. Birds also bathe in the rain, on dew or water droplets collected on leaves after rain or from a hose during watering of the garden on a hot day. They also dust bathe.

Sunning is another method of feather maintenance, besides anting, although this latter method has not been properly observed locally.

This post is a cooperative effort between NaturePixels.org and BESG to bring the study of bird behaviour through photography to a wider audience

All images by Steven a.k.a. sharkspin.

“Chestnut-bellied Malkohas (Phaenicophaeus sumatranus) are considered uncommon, nationally near threatened, and globally near-threatened species, so it is with great luck that I was able to come across two birds in the same morning. I believe one of them was a female, however based on my fleeting observations of the two I am not able to tell.

“The morning was blessed with bright sunlight, and the two birds were obviously enjoying having a sunbath. And with their dark coloured feathers, they would be able to gather heat from the sun with greater efficiency. It also was suggested that they may be anting, however on examining my pictures, could not see any evidence of it.”

Sunning is another method of feather maintenance, besides water and dust bathing, preening and anting. In sunning, birds adopt varied postures. Both or one wing may be extended and the tail feathers spread out. The bird usually lies on the hot ground with its head lowered and tipped to one side. It may remain motionless for some time, but not in the case of these malkohas.

There are two earlier posts: One shows a malkoha sunning on the ground but the observer was not able to get near for a close-up shot, unlike the present encounter. The other shows malkohas sunning themselves on the branches of a tree.

We are more familiar with sunning by cormorants and anhingas, not so with other birds…

Date of observation: 13th May 2008