Search results for Preening

King penguin, mated pair courting, displaying courtship behavior including mutual preening.
Species: King penguin, Aptenodytes patagonicus
Location: Salisbury Plain, South Georgia Island
Image ID: 24510  

Brown pelican, non-breeding winter plumage. This large seabird has a wingspan over 7 feet wide. The California race of the brown pelican holds endangered species status, due largely to predation in the early 1900s and to decades of poor reproduction caused by DDT poisoning.
Species: Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis, Pelecanus occidentalis californicus
Location: La Jolla, California
Image ID: 20101  

A brown pelican preening, reaching with its beak to the uropygial gland (preen gland) near the base of its tail. Preen oil from the uropygial gland is spread by the pelican's beak and back of its head to all other feathers on the pelican, helping to keep them water resistant and dry.
Species: Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis, Pelecanus occidentalis californicus
Location: La Jolla, California
Image ID: 22268  

A brown pelican preening, reaching with its beak to the uropygial gland (preen gland) near the base of its tail. Preen oil from the uropygial gland is spread by the pelican's beak and back of its head to all other feathers on the pelican, helping to keep them water resistant and dry.
Species: Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis, Pelecanus occidentalis californicus
Location: La Jolla, California
Image ID: 22272  

Brown pelican preening, cleaning its feathers after foraging on the ocean, with distinctive winter breeding plumage with distinctive dark brown nape, yellow head feathers and red gular throat pouch.
Species: Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis, Pelecanus occidentalis californicus
Location: La Jolla, California
Image ID: 22536  

A California brown pelican entangled in a plastic bag which is wrapped around its neck. This unfortunate pelican probably became entangled in the bag by mistaking the floating plastic for food and diving on it, spearing it in such a way that the bag has lodged around the pelican's neck. Plastic bags kill and injure untold numbers of marine animals each year.
Species: Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis, Pelecanus occidentalis californicus
Location: La Jolla, California
Image ID: 22571  

A brown pelican preening, reaching with its beak to the uropygial gland (preen gland) near the base of its tail. Preen oil from the uropygial gland is spread by the pelican's beak and back of its head to all other feathers on the pelican, helping to keep them water resistant and dry.
Species: Brown pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis, Pelecanus occidentalis californicus
Location: La Jolla, California
Image ID: 18123  

A brown pelican preening, reaching with its beak to the uropygial gland (preen gland) near the base of its tail. Preen oil from the uropygial gland is spread by the pelican's beak and back of its head to all other feathers on the pelican, helping to keep them water resistant and dry.
Species: Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis, Pelecanus occidentalis californicus
Location: La Jolla, California
Image ID: 18124  

A brown pelican preening, reaching with its beak to the uropygial gland (preen gland) near the base of its tail. Preen oil from the uropygial gland is spread by the pelican's beak and back of its head to all other feathers on the pelican, helping to keep them water resistant and dry.
Species: Brown pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis, Pelecanus occidentalis californicus
Location: La Jolla, California
Image ID: 18128  

A brown pelican preening, reaching with its beak to the uropygial gland (preen gland) near the base of its tail. Preen oil from the uropygial gland is spread by the pelican's beak and back of its head to all other feathers on the pelican, helping to keep them water resistant and dry.
Species: Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis, Pelecanus occidentalis californicus
Location: La Jolla, California
Image ID: 18132  

Western gull, preening, adult breeding.
Species: Western gull, Larus occidentalis
Location: La Jolla, California
Image ID: 18137  

Brown pelicans rest and preen on seacliffs above the ocean. In winter months, breeding adults assume a dramatic plumage with brown neck, yellow and white head and bright red-orange gular throat pouch.
Species: Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis, Pelecanus occidentalis californicus
Location: La Jolla, California
Image ID: 18261  

Double-crested cormorant preening.
Species: Double-crested cormorant, Phalacrocorax auritus
Location: La Jolla, California
Image ID: 18307  

Brown pelican preening. After wiping its long beak on the uropygial gland near the base of its tail, the pelican spreads the preen oil on feathers about its body, helping to keep them water resistant, an important protection for a bird that spends much of its life diving in the ocean for prey.
Species: Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis, Pelecanus occidentalis californicus
Location: La Jolla, California
Image ID: 18383  

Brown pelican preening. After wiping its long beak on the uropygial gland near the base of its tail, the pelican spreads the preen oil on feathers about its body, helping to keep them water resistant, an important protection for a bird that spends much of its life diving in the ocean for prey.
Species: Brown pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis, Pelecanus occidentalis californicus
Location: La Jolla, California
Image ID: 18384  

Western gull, preening.
Species: Western gull, Larus occidentalis
Location: La Jolla, California
Image ID: 18391  

A brown pelican preening, reaching with its beak to the uropygial gland (preen gland) near the base of its tail. Preen oil from the uropygial gland is spread by the pelican's beak and back of its head to all other feathers on the pelican, helping to keep them water resistant and dry.
Species: Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis, Pelecanus occidentalis californicus
Location: La Jolla, California
Image ID: 20151  

Snow geese blast off. After resting and preening on water, snow geese are started by a coyote, hawk or just wind and take off en masse by the thousands. As many as 50,000 snow geese are found at Bosque del Apache NWR at times, stopping at the refuge during their winter migration along the Rio Grande River.
Species: Snow goose, Chen caerulescens
Location: Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, Socorro, New Mexico
Image ID: 21839  

Snow geese blast off. After resting and preening on water, snow geese are started by a coyote, hawk or just wind and take off en masse by the thousands. As many as 50,000 snow geese are found at Bosque del Apache NWR at times, stopping at the refuge during their winter migration along the Rio Grande River.
Species: Snow goose, Chen caerulescens
Location: Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, Socorro, New Mexico
Image ID: 21862  

Snow geese blast off. After resting and preening on water, snow geese are started by a coyote, hawk or just wind and take off en masse by the thousands. As many as 50,000 snow geese are found at Bosque del Apache NWR at times, stopping at the refuge during their winter migration along the Rio Grande River.
Species: Snow goose, Chen caerulescens
Location: Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, Socorro, New Mexico
Image ID: 21874  

Snow geese blast off. After resting and preening on water, snow geese are started by a coyote, hawk or just wind and take off en masse by the thousands. As many as 50,000 snow geese are found at Bosque del Apache NWR at times, stopping at the refuge during their winter migration along the Rio Grande River.
Species: Snow goose, Chen caerulescens
Location: Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, Socorro, New Mexico
Image ID: 21918  

Snow geese blast off. After resting and preening on water, snow geese are started by a coyote, hawk or just wind and take off en masse by the thousands. As many as 50,000 snow geese are found at Bosque del Apache NWR at times, stopping at the refuge during their winter migration along the Rio Grande River.
Species: Snow goose, Chen caerulescens
Location: Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, Socorro, New Mexico
Image ID: 21919  

Snow geese blast off. After resting and preening on water, snow geese are started by a coyote, hawk or just wind and take off en masse by the thousands. As many as 50,000 snow geese are found at Bosque del Apache NWR at times, stopping at the refuge during their winter migration along the Rio Grande River.
Species: Snow goose, Chen caerulescens
Location: Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, Socorro, New Mexico
Image ID: 21950  

Snow geese blast off. After resting and preening on water, snow geese are started by a coyote, hawk or just wind and take off en masse by the thousands. As many as 50,000 snow geese are found at Bosque del Apache NWR at times, stopping at the refuge during their winter migration along the Rio Grande River.
Species: Snow goose, Chen caerulescens
Location: Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, Socorro, New Mexico
Image ID: 22077  

Snow geese blast off. After resting and preening on water, snow geese are started by a coyote, hawk or just wind and take off en masse by the thousands. As many as 50,000 snow geese are found at Bosque del Apache NWR at times, stopping at the refuge during their winter migration along the Rio Grande River.
Species: Snow goose, Chen caerulescens
Location: Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, Socorro, New Mexico
Image ID: 21917  

Snow geese blast off. After resting and preening on water, snow geese are started by a coyote, hawk or just wind and take off en masse by the thousands. As many as 50,000 snow geese are found at Bosque del Apache NWR at times, stopping at the refuge during their winter migration along the Rio Grande River.
Species: Snow goose, Chen caerulescens
Location: Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, Socorro, New Mexico
Image ID: 22057