What is Preening?

An informational article about what preening is, why it's important, and how the Magellanic Penguin utilizes it for survival.

Cleaning and Preening

Preening is a common behavior among avian species, encompassing the habits of grooming feathers. As an innate behavior, preening is an act that occurs naturally; Properly lubricated feathers are necessary while swimming, foraging, and migrating (Pütz, 2007).

As avid swimmers, Magellanic penguins waterproof their feathers to ensure cleanliness and conserve body heat (Pütz, 2007). Whenever necessary, the uropygial gland near their dorsal base excretes oil (Gallo, 2019). Oil allocation is accomplished through a pricking motion with their beak (Stokes, 2014). All surface area must be properly oiled to ensure a hydrophobic feather surface for repelling water (Gallo, 2019).

Allopreening

To accomplish a staunch and compact arrangement of oiled feathers, they may assist one another in what is known as allopreening (Gallo, 2019). To evenly distribute secretions produced, a mate or rookery member may help oil an unreachable body surface—such as the posterior (Pütz, 2007). Mutual preening is a way of maintaining a pair bond among breeding partners (Gallo, 2019).