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Adult birds with their beaks open--why? (1 Viewer)

Juju222

Active member
I've seen my fair share of baby birds standing with their beaks open and fluttering their wings to get fed by mama or papa bird...but why do the adult birds walk around with their beaks open?

I never really observed this behavior before, and I don't know if it is because it is summer in Phoenix and it/they are hot, or birds always do this and I never noticed it before. I've seen this open beak demonstration from grackles and thrashers, to name a few.

Does anyone know?
 
Thanks, Dave.

It certainly has been "very hot" here -- perhaps like a dog who pants because he can't sweat, the birds enjoy the air passing through their open mouths?
 
Aha! Thanks, Tero.

Now I've done a little more googling around on the subject which confirmed my suspicion about another bird behavior -- spreading their wings out when they are on the ground. We get a lot of quail and they open their wings such that it reminds me of a harrier (the jet, not the bird). The first time I saw it I thought maybe they were protecting their young who were nearby. But as time went on and the young 'uns were further away, I deduced they must be doing it to provide some shade for their legs and also to allow more airflow under the wing.

Birds are so fascinating to watch!! Having the opportunity to exchange ideas with more knowledgeable birdwatchers here is something I really appreciate.
 
I got a reply from the RSPB about this one a few years back (Ian Peters, I think) and he told me that the heat of the sun is thought to make the oil in the preen glands less viscous. Certainly, I have seen birds go into a preening session immediately after sunbathing so it is an intriguing idea. Gaping is definitely a heat loss strategy and is accompanied by gentle panting in some cases although you need to look carefully for some of the smaller birds.
 
I got a reply from the RSPB about this one a few years back (Ian Peters, I think) and he told me that the heat of the sun is thought to make the oil in the preen glands less viscous. Certainly, I have seen birds go into a preening session immediately after sunbathing so it is an intriguing idea.

That makes sense...kinda like heating up butter I would say.
 
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