Foot bath

[phil adair]

I was watching this guy while trying out my new 7d, he finished a fish while in the nest and then took off and di this 3 or 4 times.

I swear he was washing off his toes.

[John Chardine]

Makes sense. Birds in general suffer from obsesive-compulsive disorder when it comes to keeping themselves clean!

[chris funk]

i watched one do that at disney's epcot this week. it made 4 or 5 passes like that . i was in full on family mode and without my camera gear !!!

[Connie Mier]

Yep, I've seen this many times; and I like John's description of birds. Seems to be so true!

[John Chardine]

Makes sense. Birds in general suffer from obsesive-compulsive disorder when it comes to keeping themselves clean!

There is a reason for this- their life depends on it. The outer/contour feathers have to stay zipped up at the microscopic level so that water does not penetrate to the down below and thus ruin its insulating capabilities. Lots of things can compromise the contour feathers including dirt, salt, and oil. If there's any chance of contamination through dirty feet, the best practice is to have a bath.

Water itself zips up feathers and it's one reason birds bathe. I spent many years studying Brown Noddies in Culebra, Puerto Rico, and part of the study involved catching birds and banding them. Almost all of the several 100 I banded over 16 years flew straight out to sea and plunged into the water for a bath after I released them. They would then turn right around and be back on the nest before I noticed. They were great birds and I loved them.