I saw this white tailed ptarmigan rolling in the dirt at Rocky Mountain National Park. Believe it was taking a dirt bath? A very nice bird who is willing to actually walk your way to get his picture taken. Although a bit hard to find amongst the rocks with his beautiful camouflage.
It is indeed Steven. Birds' plumage is critical to their survival and they spend a lot of time taking care of it. Where water is plentiful, they usually take a water bath- dust baths are more common in drier areas. The dust is thought to absorb excess oils and waxes that would build up in the feathers and cause them to mat. Although it's tempting to think that the dust also removes feather parasites like lice and ticks, there's no evidence that this a function of dust bathing. Thanks for posting.