File:Black Kite in Sun Bath.jpg

English: The Black Kite is a medium-sized raptor (bird of prey). From a distance, it appears almost black, with a light brown bar on the shoulder. The plumage is actually dark brown, with scattered light brown and rufous markings, particularly on the head, neck and underparts. The tail is forked and barred with darker brown. This feature gives the bird its alternative name of Fork-tailed Kite. The eye is dark brown and the bill is black with a yellow cere (area of skin around the nostrils). Both sexes are similar. Young Black Kites are generally lighter in colour than the adults, and have a comparatively shallower forked tail. Dust baths, also called dusting or sand bathing, are part of a bird’s preening and plumage maintenance that keeps feathers in top condition. The dust that is worked into the bird’s feathers will absorb excess oil to help keep the feathers from becoming greasy or matted. The oil-soaked dust is then shed easily to keep the plumage clean and flexible for more aerodynamic flight and efficient insulation. Dry skin and other debris can also be removed with excess dust, and regular dusting may help smother or minimize lice, feather mites, and other parasites. To take a dust bath, a bird begins by scraping their feet in dry, fine, crumbly dirt or sand to create a wallow. Lowering the breast to the ground and rolling, swaying or rocking may deepen the shallow depression. The bird will flip its wings vigorously, similar to bathing in water, to spread dust over the entire body. During this frantic motion, the feathers may be fluffed and the tail spread so the dust can reach the skin more easily. The bird may also rub its head to the ground to coat the shorter feathers on the cheeks. After a few moments of this dry bathing, the bird will pause to catch its breath or look around, but the bathing motion may be repeated several times until the bird is sufficiently coated in dust. At that time, the bird may fly to a nearby perch or will first shake off some excess dust before perching. Preening or sunning often follows immediately after a dust bath as the bird continues its extensive grooming regimen. During one sunning session a bird may keep the same position or it may change positions to expose different parts of its body to the sun. Because the point of sunning is to capture the most sunlight, birds frequently sun in open, unobstructed areas such as dust baths, mulch beds, or open decks where there are no shadows. Any patch of warm sunlight, however, might attract a stunning bird.