Not all birds take shelter once it rains. Not this Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier) anyway. It perched on a branch shaded very lightly by the leaves of the curry bush (Myrraya koenigii). The droplets of rain fell on its plumage. The bird shook them off and fluffed its feathers.
It was obviously having a bath.
This went on for about four minutes and the bird moved from point to point. And all the time it was enjoying the rain.
Then the rain stopped and the bulbul moved to an exposed branch, stretched out fully and sang a few of its short-syllable song. It then flew off.
Bathing is one way of keeping the feathers in top form. Preening, anting, dust and sun bathing are other methods.
YC Wee
Singapore
April 2008
Melissa Gold
Beautiful sequence of pictures.
It never rains in Lima (Peru), so, I have no chance to watch something like that at home!
straycat
have observed this behaviour in the yellow-vented bulbuls that hang around my house. when it’s not raining, they appear to enjoy having a bowl of water left out for them to splash in – splash, shake, fight for space in the bowl, splash, shake…
Bird Ecology Study Group » Crimson Sunbird in the rain
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