A mallard duck splashed in the lake in West Kelowna.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Dean Pratley
May 06, 2024 - 6:00 AM
These birds were spotted this spring bathing and preening in rivers and lakes in the Thompson-Okanagan region.
Birds have to bath regularly to keep their feathers clean, to regulate body temperature, keep away parasites and attract mates.
Some species are more apt to take a dip in a puddle to refresh their feathers while others, like wrens and water thrushes, completely submerge themselves under the water, according to Bird Fact.
Ducks, swans and geese will dive under water and preen their wet feathers while they swim on the surface, while shorebirds wade into shallow water and dip their heads and wings.
Swifts and swallows swoop down to skim the surface of the water and spray it all over themselves by fanning out their tails.
Some bird species will bath in the rain, fluffing out their feathers to get as much rain as possible then shake off the excess water. In regions where water and rainfall is scarce, birds adapt by coating their feathers with dust and shaking vigorously.
A pine siskin has a tub in a puddle in Kamloops.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Valerie Walsh
After getting wet, birds shake their tails, vibrate their wings and fluff out their feathers to dry off. They will preen by spreading an oil from a gland near the base of their tails across their feathers to keep them waterproof.
Often birds will splash in the water to simply cool off on hot days.
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A robin splashes in a bird bath in Vernon.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Jack L. VanDyk
A hawk perches in the rain in the Kamloops area.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Doug Giles
A duck makes a splash on Skaha Lake in Penticton.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Heather Maitland
A robin splashes in the water at a lake in the Okanagan.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Gary Grimmell
Coots play on the water in the Kamloops area.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Lyn MacDonald
An eagle splashes in the Thompson River in Kamloops.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Valerie Walsh
A redwing blackbird bathes in Vernon.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Greg Leong
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