Birds preen just like cats lick and humans take a shower. They do this to get rid of dust, bugs, pollen, unwanted fibers, feathers, down, feather sheaths etc. It can also sometimes be part of mating rituals for wild birds. Some birds also have a Uropygial Gland as illustrated below. This emits an oil that helps keep the bird’s plumage shiny, coated, water tight etc. It also helps “glue” the feather barbs together so that they can fly without losing lift. Otherwise it’s like drilling holes in a plane’s wings. This gland can sometimes become clogged or infected but as long as your bird is taking baths and has a clean environment it should be OK. This is also why birds don’t need those sprays you can buy from bird product companies like “plumage shine” and other such products. Unless there is an extenuating environmental situation or a medical anomaly, your bird should be providing itself with all the necessary oils and secretions to keep its plumage healthy and shiny.
However, the ONE place that birds can’t reach (which is like our backs to us humans) is the top of the head. This area is the one place where birds usually love to get scritches (or rubbies as we call them). Especially birds with head plumage like cockatiels and cockatoos. They have rather large feathers up there that are constantly replenishing themselves like sharks teeth and every time that new feather breaks through the skin it can be a bit irritating. Women are more familiar with this but guys, have you ever had to shave and area for surgery or your legs for the swim team? What happens when hair that isn’t normally shaved starts growing back? It itches.Then… have you ever tried to push a floppy string through a small hole? Tough ain’t it? Which is why when bird’s feathers come in they come in… or shall I say… OUT as a hardened shaft with a sheath on it. When that sheath is all the way out and the feather is done growing, the sheath comes off and it reveals a feather. Many times, the bird is tearing/sliding off that sheath similar to how we take the clear plastic wrap off of a tube of wrapping paper. This is what the bird is doing the preening for.
Just like we humans can’t really scratch our own backs, birds have no arms or fingers so they can’t scratch the tops of their own heads. So when your bird bows his head to your, help him out and scritch his itchy head. Word of warning though, don’t start this if you have plans within the hour. Your bird will stay there like it paid for the service and demand you finish what your started. You can’t blame them though. Have you ever been getting a back rub and said “eh, that’s good, I don’t need any more of THAT right now”. Exactly
