Dust bath

A house sparrow having a dust bath

A horse rolling in sand

American Robin having a dust bath

Dust bath (also sand bath) is the act of an animal grooming and cleansing its skin or fur from parasites by rolling or moving around within dust or sand.^[1]

Overview

Dust baths are a necessity for some animals^[2] and serve to clean the feathers, skin, or fur similar to the more common bathing in water, or wallowing in mud. Birds cower close to the ground while taking a dust bath and wiggle their bodies. This will disperse loose soil in the air. The birds spread one or both wings. The dust bath is often followed by thorough shaking to ruffle the feathers or preening. Birds without a uropygial gland rely on dust baths to keep their feathers clean and dry.

Animals

Many animals like to roll in sand or dirt to keep the flies and insects away from them and also to help dry off after exercise or being wet. A sand roll, which is a stall or yard covered with deep sand, is often included as part of stable complexes, for use by horses after exercise.^[3]

Human dustbathing

Indigenous peoples in arid habitats are said to use sand baths instead of water baths.^[4] In medieval times children considered to be changelings in Malta were given a ritualistic dust bath at the site of a religious statue.

See also

• Chickens as pets

References

1. ^ "dust bath definition - Dictionary - MSN Encarta". dust bath definition - Dictionary - MSN Encarta. http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861694411/dust_bath.html. 
2. ^ "Chinchilla Dust Baths". Exoticpets.about.com. 2010-06-14. http://exoticpets.about.com/od/chinchillas/a/chindustbath.htm. Retrieved 2011-07-11. 
3. ^ Managing Horses on Small Properties Retrieved 2010-3-12
4. ^ The sing-song of old man kangaroo

Gallery

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  Sparrows

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  Turkey

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  Bison

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  Elephant

This ethology article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: Ethology Ethology stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая? Dust and Shadow Alveolar macrophage Look at other dictionaries: dust-bath — dustˈ bath noun The action of birds in rubbing dust into their feathers, probably to get rid of parasites • • • Main Entry: ↑dust …   Useful english dictionary dust bath — /ˈdʌst baθ/ (say dust bahth) noun 1. the practice adopted by a bird of forcing dust through its feathers, as a control against parasites. 2. a similar application of dust by some mammals, as the elephant, chinchilla and llama …   dust bath — noun a bird s rolling in dust to clean its feathers …   English new terms dictionary dust — n. & v. n. 1 a finely powdered earth, dirt, etc., lying on the ground or on surfaces, and blown about by the wind. b fine powder of any material (pollen dust; gold dust). c a cloud of dust. 2 a dead person s remains (honoured dust). 3 confusion… …   Useful english dictionary Bath School disaster — Infobox terrorist attack title=Bath School Disaster caption=Bath Consolidated School after the bombing location=Bath Township, Michigan, United States date=May 18, 1927 type=Shooting, explosives, suicide bombing, fire weapons=Rifle, pyrotol,… …   Wikipedia Bath brick — Brick Brick (br[i^]k), n. [OE. brik, F. brique; of Ger. origin; cf. AS. brice a breaking, fragment, Prov. E. brique piece, brique de pain, equiv. to AS. hl[=a]fes brice, fr. the root of E. break. See {Break}.] 1. A block or clay tempered with… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English BATH`URST —    1) (8), the capital of British Gambia, at the mouth of the river Gambia, in Western Africa; inhabited chiefly by negroes; exports palm oil, ivory, gold dust, &c.    2) (10), the principal town on the western slopes of New South Wales, second… …   The Nuttall Encyclopaedia Spa bath — Note that the term spa bath can also refer to a spa or hot tub. A spa bath basin of water having a temperature of up to 45 degrees Celsius (#expr: 45 *9/5+32 Fahrenheit), containing salts, herbal extracts or herbal oils, in which the hands, feet… …   Wikipedia Brick dust — Brick Brick (br[i^]k), n. [OE. brik, F. brique; of Ger. origin; cf. AS. brice a breaking, fragment, Prov. E. brique piece, brique de pain, equiv. to AS. hl[=a]fes brice, fr. the root of E. break. See {Break}.] 1. A block or clay tempered with… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English The Dust Brothers — Эту статью следует викифицировать. Пожалуйста, оформите её согласно правилам оформления статей. The Dust Brothers это базирующиеся в Лос Анджелесе продюсеры «E.Z. Mike» (Michael Simpson) и «King Gizmo» (John King), ставшие известными в 1980 х за… …   Википедия 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”