Dust Bathe Or Sunbathe

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(Edited)

Birds Enjoy Cleanliness

The Cape sparrow (Passer melanurus) a medium sized bird that enjoys a dust bath, it does enjoy water as well here lining up to take turns in sand kicked up by the moles, dug up by Woody then raked back to make a perfect afternoon sharing specific spots rounded out one by one.

Why would birds dust bathe, apparently it assists removing excess oils from the skin, old skin removed at the same time and removes parasites, or lice hiding in feathers, making a dust bath in the right conditions really becomes a family affair.

After forming a neat hollow in the sand they lower their breast onto the ground, shake their feathers like there is no tomorrow...., then step aside or fly away for the next to hop into dust bathe using the same slightly hollowed out hole.

Uploaded video to YouTube to showcase the action on my front lawn.....

Thirty-three different species are known to frequently use this method, the sparrows, thrushes, larks, mousebirds, hornbills, game birds and doves.

Birds in my garden bathing frequently are the sparrows and doves.

Laughing Dove (Spilopelia senegalensis) do enjoy laying in warm sandy spot and stretch their wings out to bathe in the sunlight. Often a pair will settle down to a sunbathing and preening session, regulating their body temperature possibly, keeping feathers in tip top condition for flight for sure.

Two natural elements in nature the birds rely upon, soil and sun to remove unwanted parasites or feather lice. It is believed the ultraviolet rays in sunlight assist killing the lice, then birds remove by picking off their body after basking keeping them healthy and clean removing dirt and other impurities from their feathers.

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78 comments
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This is seriously cute, especially the video! Thanks so much for sharing. I have seen this with the mousebirds in my garden. I could not understand what made these perfect round indentations in the ground until I saw them bath like the mossies in your video. Thanks for sharing! Again shows the need to keep some spaces open with ground otherwise they will not be able to bath.

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Amazing they use water and sand or sun, very hygienic consciousness or they won't fly. Loose soil attracts them, glad you know why now.

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That is really amazing yes! The more we know the more we can give back to nature as well.

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Why would birds dust bathe, apparently it assists removing excess oils from the skin, old skin removed at the same time and removes parasites, or lice hiding in feathers, making a dust bath in the right conditions really becomes a family affair.

Ohhhh wow!!! I never knew any of this, wow! It makes so much sense. When I see them doing this I can’t help but wonder but knowing why they do it makes so much sense now to me.

Thanks for sharing ma’am

Ps: you do love birds for real though

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Birds take advantage of many things we simply don't consider.

Remember when our parents used soot from the fire to clean teeth when out in the bush, now they make toothpaste with coal in, well not the best but does the trick too.

So glad you enjoyed the information and yes I love nature along with all the tricks they are able to teach us.

!LUV

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I love nature along with all the tricks they are able to teach us.

So many mind blowing tricks I tell you and it's so amazing

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How are you dear friend @joanstewart good morning
I have seen birds take a dust bath on many occasions, but I was unaware of its purpose.
Beautiful photographs, and how many sparrows take advantage of your patio for a dust bath; I loved watching the video
Have a nice week

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Whole family arrived to enjoy the loose sand against the warmth of the sun, now we have snow falling inland and very cold here along the coast!

Have a lovely week and thanks for visiting.

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Sometimes I see Blackbirds bathing in the dry soil around the tree in front of our balcony, but Sparrows more often, of course 😄 !LOLZ

But I didn't know the reason for bathing in sand, and I certainly didn't know that there are insects called Feather Lice - thanks for teaching and showing me something new.
Very nice made post, I love the video 😊

!invest_vote

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Mysteries of why birds do certain antics keeps me motivated to learn more, I do remember my Dad told us why many years ago. Watching them enjoying the loose sand made me remember.

Big black birds would be a great capture one day. Thanks for visiting and kind comment once again.

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Oops, I wrote Black Bird and meant Blackbirds, the smaller ones, but it would be great to see a Crow bathing in sand 😄

You're most welcome, Joan, wishing you a wonderful evening, and maybe some beautiful snow on the mountains tomorrow 😊

Have a !PIZZA from me, served with !LUV
!invest_vote

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I would like to see the bigger birds here using the dry soil, we do get to witness it with large animals ridding themselves of pests.

Have a wonderful day, some sunshine this morning still pretty cold, feels like a proper winter for once.

!LUV
!LOLZ

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After a hot night it's a nice cool morning here at about 19C, because it's raining, but the temperatures will climb up over 30C again during the day, says the weatherman.

Wishing you also a day with lots of sunshine and not so very cold temperatures 🌞

Have a !PIZZA from me, served with !LUV
!invest_vote

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Cool start to our day, should reach 20C today, sun brightly shining with lovely clear skies. Have a good one you going a bit warmer, hope not uncomfortable!

Humpday and halfway there for your weekend once again, enjoy with !LUV from South and !LOLZ on weather reversal 🤣

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Hi Joan,

Hive isn't working for me at the moment it seems. It either doesn't show fresh content or I can't see the images.

But I didn't have time in the past days anyway. In a few minutes I'll leave to work and in a few hours it's weekend 😁

We have hot weather with thunderstorms each day.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend 😊 🌞

Have a !PIZZA from me, served with !LUV
!invest_vote

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With our electricity problems I too have encountered a couple of issues, hot days attract thunder and lightning storms !LOLZ

Oh well enjoy the rest of the day speeding into the weekend have fun!

!WINEX
!LUV
!PIZZA

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I still can't see any images in the posts, but I'm going offline anyway ... it's weekend, I don't have to work and the mountains are calling 😁
The weatherman predicts sunshine without rain or storms till Sunday, but a lot of rain for next week.

Wishing you a lovely Winter weekend, sending !LUV and !LOLZ 😊🌞

!invest_vote

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Oh perhaps switch to Ecency or Hive.Blog if photographs not appearing, we have that every so often on one or other front end.

Enjoy the weekend, I look forward to the photos. Perfect blue skies and winter weather here, back into the 20C during the day (visitors from inland actually swimming on certain beaches, being school holidays).

!PIZZA for quick on the road trips
!LOLZ enjoy whatever you do!
!LUV waiting for photography 🙃

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Since quite a while I'm using only Ecency - maybe it's my browser and clearing cache or so will help 😉 !LOLZ

Enjoy the nice Winter weather - I hope it lasts for a till Spring 🌞

Thanks for the wishes, I hope I'll have some nice images for you next week 😀

!invest_vote

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!LOLZ clearing out cache and cookies helps, housecleaning on our devices required 😌

Brilliant crisp mornings in full sunshine, gets cool from sunset. Average nights around 13C daytime 24C which for me is perfect!

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I wished housecleaning would be as easy as clicking the mouse 😂 !LOLZ

It's hot at about 31 C and there's no cloud in the sky today.
Yesterday's morning in the Dolomites was cloudless as well, but luckily in the late afternoon some clouds arrived around the Tree Cime di Lavaredo ...

Wishing you a wonderful Sunday, 24 C would be fine here too 😊 🌞

Have a !PIZZA from me, served with !LUV
!invest_vote

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Stunning reflection photography, we do feel the heat at 31C but never melt till higher temperatures arrive !LOLZ

Have an amazing Sunday warm enough for a BBQ in the evening perhaps !WINEX

!LUV to the family and if the BBQ does not work out have a !PIZZA instead!

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And we still smile when the temperatures get below 10 C 😉 !LOLZ

We are not allowed to have BBQ on the balcony, so I think we'll have a !PIZZA or what's left from lunch 😋

Sending !LUV back down to the south 🌞

!invest_vote

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An interesting read to know the soil and the sun are of great usefulness to birds when they do their thing in the sand, I never knew its benefit for them.
Just as we humans need the sun and soil for various reasons, it is interesting to know that birds have needs for them as well.

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Soil is beneficial in many way, they use it to boost efficiency in their crop. Minerals out of the soil is used much like Elephants seek out certain places to enjoy the minerals. Animals and birds always keep me spellbound with their coming and going year round.

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This reminds me of the soil composition we did in high school, I doubt if I still remember the soil compositing 😃. I can still name the types though, clay, sandy, and the other ones.

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🤣Clay, sandy and other ones... Yup spot on!

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Lol, I don't want to trouble my brain lol. I passed back then 😃

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That is the trouble with learning parrot fashion out of books not going into field work....

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Exactly they don't stick longer compared to practically learning

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Practical is imperative, many businesses need to open their doors and go back to this method of training during school/university holidays.

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fascinating i never knew birds did that

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Yup they want to go live on Mars yet don't know what is happening in our own backyard !LOLZ

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Talking of Mars. Just reading a book "the future of geography" by Tim Marshall, (have read all his stuff). OMG the future looks scary.

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I will be swanning along on my broomstick as star dust, will wait and watch!

Scary enough living in the present, interesting to read futuristic ideas.

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It's funny to see how birds clean their feathers in this way, it looks ridiculous, but it effectively cleans out parasites.😄

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Appears to be party time once the hollow is exactly the way the want it, lovely to observe.

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Hello, there
Dust bath is also doing by chicken in my house. Fun act too see.

Thank you for sharing beautiful moment there.

Greetings

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Birds obviously enjoy being clean, thanks for sharing.

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I had a few Doves doing the same thing the other day in our driveway. I had no idea what the heck they were up to. Now I know they were taking a dust bath. I'll have to give it a try, it seems like a good way to save water. 😁

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Dry-clean, something like a windy beach having skin removal therapy.

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Sparrows are so cute when they do sandbath, but I haven't seen other birds doing so. It is interesting to know and I will look more carefully next time. Wonderful choice for entry this week. 🙂

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Thanks Neli, they just happened to pop into the garden and give me everything I needed, perhaps mind reading what is happening on Hive now.... 🤣

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