As those of you who live around Brisbane will know, this time of year can still bring some pretty hot days. But it's not just us who feel the effects of those sweltering temperatures. Spare a thought for our hardworking show birds, who come out and perform for us, at a time when most of the other animals around the sanctuary are snoozing under the shade of the trees.

So what do we, as their keepers, do to help our birds cope in the heat? We give them showers!

Just like many other birds like to bathe, raptors are no different. In fact, some of our birds love water so much we even give them their own little swimming pools. Species that are often found around water areas, like the white-bellied sea-eagle, osprey and brahminy kite, really enjoy getting into the water and having a splash around.

For many others, we simply turn the hose onto a nice mist and let our birds soak under it for awhile. It's always entertaining to watch, especially our barking owls who always put on a show of opening up their wings and fluffing out their feathers.

Besides giving the birds a chance to cool down, bathing is also important for feather maintenance. The water softens the feathers, and the bird will then preen by running the feathers through the beak, helping to straighten them out. This action also helps to repair any split barbs that can occur in the feather. Many barbules (which are like tiny hooks) latch the barbs together, but when barbules detach, a split appears. Birds realign these during preening. If you spend any time observing birds, this behaviour can be easily identified, as the bird carefully nibbles its way from the base of the feather toward the tip, reattaching the barbules and mending splits.

Preening also helps to waterproof and condition feathers. Raptors (and indeed most other birds as well) have a preen gland, or uropygial gland, at the base of the tail. This gland produces a waxy substance, and the bird will squeeze the preen gland with the beak, and then distribute the oil by rubbing the beak over the feathers. It’s thought that the oil from the preen gland also helps to make the feathers supple and strong and prevents them from drying out.

So as you can see, giving our birds the opportuntity to bathe and preen is actually a very important part of our job. Next time you admire the birds for the beautiful condition of the feathers, bear in mind all the work that they (and us!) put into keeping them that way.

Check out the photo below of Baileys enjoying one of her daily showers!