Keeping clean

When it comes to keeping clean we have got it down to a T. But what about if you are a bird? When we typically think of feathers we think of the contour feathers that give the bird its form and we also think of the flight feathers, which allow the bird to fly. But there are another group of important feathers called the down feathers. As you can see from any small cluster of down feathers, some of them have a central vatchiss, but radiating off that is a lot of soft insulating material. These feathers are about keeping the bird warm. You will know that from your duvet or pillow case. But what about if you are a pisciverous bird? and you fancy yourself a fish supper . During the process of eating a greasy oily fish,the chances are you will get some over your feathers. What are you going to do about it? Well if you are a heron or a bitten you have come up with a solution, specialized down. Which is called powder down . They grow it on their chest and on their bodies and when they preen it the barbs turn into a scaly dust. Its then there to be preened all over their body where the oil is so it soaks it up like a coagulated mass. But then you have a coagulated mass all over your body, What are you going to do about it? The heron has come with a solution which comes in the form of their center toe, which is pectanated which means it has a comb on it. So the heron can comb the mass of fish oil and coagulated mass out of its plumage.