Preening

Today was Dunkin' at the beach day, of course.  There were a number of geese in the water which we noticed and then after a time they all came ashore and started preening their feathers with their beaks.  What's funny, of course is how so many of the geese look headless!  So I looked up "preening" and this is what Wikipedia says:  "Preening is a maintenance behavior 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 in check. Feathers contribute significantly to a bird's insulation, waterproofing and aerodynamic flight, and so are vital to its survival. Because of this, birds spend considerable time each day maintaining their feathers, primarily through preening. Several actions make up preening behavior. Birds fluff up and shake their feathers, which helps to "rezip" feather barbules that have become unhooked. Using their beaks, they gather preen oil from a gland at the base of their tail and distribute this oil through their feathers. They draw each contour feather through their bill, nibbling it from base to tip."  (I was just going to quote a line or two, but couldn't believe how much I learned reading all of these lines!  Birds have to do a LOT of work on themselves!)