File:Preening Trumpeter Swan Seedskadee NWR (17380987756).jpg

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Most birds have a uropygial gland, otherwise known as the preen gland or the oil gland. It is located near the base of the tail, and birds will take "oil" from this gland and place it on its feathers as it preens, which this trumpeter swan is doing. Waterfowl have well developed oil glands, which helps them to keep their insulating down feathers and skin dry, keeping them warm in the wet places they live. The oils repel water, but also may aid in applying an electrostatic charge to the oiled feather through the mechanical action of preening. This creates a protective shell around the bird with the overlapping oiled feathers on the outside, like shingles on a roof.

<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uropygial_gland" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uropygial_gland</a>

Photo: Trumpeter swan and its uropygial gland on Seedskadee NWR. Tom Koerner/USFWS
Date
Source Preening Trumpeter Swan Seedskadee NWR
Author USFWS Mountain-Prairie

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This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
You are free:
  • to share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work
  • to remix – to adapt the work
Under the following conditions:
  • attribution – You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
This image was originally posted to Flickr by USFWS Mountain Prairie at https://flickr.com/photos/51986662@N05/17380987756 (archive). It was reviewed on 17 May 2018 by FlickreviewR 2 and was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the cc-by-2.0.

17 May 2018

Public domain
This image or recording is the work of a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employee, taken or made as part of that person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain. For more information, see the Fish and Wildlife Service copyright policy.

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United States Fish and Wildlife Service

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Date/TimeThumbnailDimensionsUserComment
current10:07, 17 May 2018Thumbnail for version as of 10:07, 17 May 20182,524 × 1,684 (2.37 MB)OceanAtoll (talk | contribs)Transferred from Flickr via #flickr2commons

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