While on a short hike a few days ago I found a tiny Black capped Chickadee hopping around in the brush. I stopped to watch him as he quickly made his way through the tangle of briars, stopping every few seconds to snap up an unseen insect.
Then he flew up and out of the shadows onto a brightly sunlit branch and he spread his wings wide like an umbrella. He peered down below his feet onto the forest floor cocking his head from side to side. This went on for a few minutes before he dove to the ground to capture a beetle. In a split second he was back up into the dark thicket moving on to find more prey.

This interesting (and entertaining!) behavior is called sunning and the reason for sunning is to maintain feather health. Sunning can dislodge feather parasites because the excess heat will encourage insects to move to other places in a bird’s plumage. This will give the Chickadee easier access to get rid of those parasites when preening. It is essential to get rid of these parasites since the tiny insects that infect feathers can cause problems for the Chickadees flight abilities, insulation, and appearance, all of which can impact its survival.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the fabulous full frame SLR, the @canonusa
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