Hi friends,
Hygiene in birds is essential when it comes to removing parasites and eliminating broken feathers or feathers that are in a bad state that do not allow them to maintain a proper body temperature.
In waterfowl, those of you who photograph birds on ponds will have noticed that swans when they are out of the water are almost always picking at the back of their bodies and the main reason for this is that this is where the uropygial gland is located.
Once they have picked up the secretion with their beak, they carefully spread it all over their plumage, as it is of vital importance to maintain good thermal insulation and even more so when they are swimming in water.
My entry to SMAP Contest Round 133
They do this habit constantly throughout their lives. And as you can see in the case of the swans, it is an activity that is done as a family, including this little baby swan that I found in a park in Valladolid with his parents.
Best regards.
Link to SMASh contest 133 organized by @nelinoeva