PREENING BIRDS. One of the pleasures of living where we do is that there are lots of waterfowl which we can look at on our walks. I saved an article by Chris Bosak in the Darien News from last March about preening birds. A couple facts:
*”Many birds have a preen gland at the base of the tail from which the bird collects a waterproof substance with its bill and spreads it out among its feathers.”
*Feathers need constant attention. Parts of a feather include shaft, vane, barbs, barbules and barbicels. The barbicels (hooks) often come detached from the barbules, which affects the bird’s ability to fly. The barbicels are microscopic but “birds are able to reconnect these microscopic barbicels using their bills.”