The rain was pouring down, and on the top of my neighbour’s roof sat a pigeon. He was soaked by the heavy rain. I thought what a silly pigeon!
Slowly he tilted his body over to the right allowing the rain to soak under his wing. What a way to have a shower, just like us. Otherwise, the underside of his wing would never have had a proper wash.
Having washed one side, he lowered his wing and raised the other to do the same. Next came a head-to-tail shake and ruffle of feathers, followed by an all-over good preen. (No soap or deodorant, though). He’d had a proper bird shower.
After a final shake, he flew up under the eaves to dry off. He slowly preened himself again all over before snuggling down, with his head tucked under his wing to go off to sleep.
Goodnight Mr.Pigeon!
If there is no rain, birds have a dry sand (or earth) bath. While sitting on a dry patch, they flick, fluff, and shuffle the sand or earth up through their feathers.
This is done to get rid of mites that live in their feathers and make them itch. I feel itchy just thinking about it, don’t you?
2024 © Penny Wobbly of WobblingPen
Photo by Daniela Silvia Serban
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