Page 107 - Devotion Among Animals Revealing the Work of God

Above: Sandgrouse drink first, then wet their feathers to transport water for their
chicks. Below: The mother stork carries water in her crop to cool her young.

the nest and begin roaming for seeds, which they can find for them-
selves. But because they cannot fly yet, they are unable to reach
water to still their thirst. Therefore, water needs to be brought to
them—and the male sandgrouse caters to this need.
Some other species of bird transport water for their young in
their crops. But because the male sandgrouse must bring water from
so far away, the quantity he can store in his crop covers only his own
needs during this long journey. But he has a unique feature for this
purpose. The inner surface of the feathers on his breast and under-
side are covered with very fine filaments. When the bird reaches a
waterhole, he rubs his underside against sand or dust, thus remov-
ing any preen oil that might prevent the absorption of water. After
drinking as much water as he can for his own needs, he then enters
the water, raises his wings and tail, and wriggles about. This soaks
all the feathers on his belly, and the filaments lining his feathers ab-
sorb the water like a sponge.

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