Mute Swan preening on snow.

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Ferry Meadows

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Cygnus

Preening.

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) female. The Preen Gland

The uropygial gland, informally known as the preen gland or the oil gland, is subacious gland possessed by the majority of birds. It is located dorsally at the base of the tail and is greatly variable in both shape and size. In some species, the opening of the gland has a small tuft of feathers to provide a wick for the preen oil. A bird will typically transfer preen oil to its body during preening by rubbing its beak and head against the gland opening and then rubbing the accumulated oil on the feathers of the body and wings, and on the skin of the feet and legs. Wildwood lake Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

This male SUTA has just molted and although he's not fully feathered, he's brilliant. Molting birds do a lot of preening. I liked the shadows of his wing feathers across his body in this pose in the dappled sunlight. Our beautiful world, pass it on.

Flamingo preening its feathers

A pelican preening while babysitting the little ones. Taken at the WIld Animal Park in Escondido.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

These are American white pelicans preening at Saint Vrain State Park, Colorado.

helps to be a bit of a contortionist when you're preening with a bill this long !

dove preening

Red necked grebe

CSSP Toronto ON

- MASPhotography Getty Images Gallery

Mundane subject but I like to watch these as they carefully preen their feathers. Taken this morning (29.1.17) in the sunshine

preening

Still a few more photos to go from Brookfield Zoo. This pelican was backlit by the setting sun.

A male Svalbard rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta hyperborea), that I watched resting and preening for one hour, together with a group of photographers on the only foggy day I had on my Svalbard trip last summer. A nice nature experience!

(Svalbardrype-hann/stegg, in Norwegian)

My album of images from Svalbard here.

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Olympus E-M10

LUMIX G VARIO 100-300/F4.0-5.6

Aperture ƒ/5.4

Focal length 258.0 mm

Shutter 1/1000

ISO 800

A female sparrow ensures its feathers remain in pristine condition.

I watched her clean and preen for quite awhile. There are so many eagles around now but it seems it rains every day I'm off. I look forward to the sun.

Best viewed large...

This Herring Gull was having a hard time trying to reach its own neck feathers

(c) DanielARichman@gmail.com

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A mallard hen preening her tail feathers on a warm afternoon at the Seney NWR in northern Michigan

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White Rock's other rocks. Tsawwassen was quite clear today.

Bempton RSPB

Taken in Golden gate park, San Francisco

A female Bufflehead preens in golden light. East Lawther Drive, White Rock park, Dallas, Texas, 16 January 2025

This Golden Eagle was shot in the wild.... non zoo, non baited, non raptor show!

White Ibis in Breeding Colors #3 - New Smyrna Backwaters

Nene Park