Plumage
Videos
Plumage, or feathering, is a layer of feathers that covers a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies a
Close-up view of the plumage on a house sparrow
Mandarin duck (male) in eclipse plumage
The differences in plumage of a blue grosbeak, from top to bottom, between a breeding male ("alternate" plumage), a non-breeding male ("basic" plumage), a female, and the related indigo bunting.
An incomplete leucistic common blackbird.
Preening
Videos
Preening is a maintenance behaviour found in birds that involves the use of the beak to position feathers, interlock feather barbules that have become separated, clean plumage, and keep ectoparasites
When preening, a bird (such as this red lory) draws individual feathers through its beak, realigning and re-interlocking the barbules.
Greater flamingo preening in Camargue, France
A humboldt penguin preening at Copenhagen Zoo, Denmark
Birds, like this two-barred crossbill, typically use their beak to gather preen gland oil from the uropygial gland.