Tag Archive: Dust bathing


The crested guineafowl, with bright red eyes and the the best feather mohawk I’ve seen, is one funky bird.

creasted-guinefowl-pose-cropped-wm

A flock of them visited our campsite in Kruger to take dust baths in the fine, dry soil right next to our tent.

creasted-guineafowl-dustbath-wm

The fine dirt is perfect for getting down between the feathers and to the skin to kill off lice, as well as to remove excess oils and keeps the feathers in good condition to allow for a quick escape from predators.

 

Bison Bathing

Bison dust bathWhether scratching an itch, trying to remove flies and ticks, showing off during the rut, or just for fun, bison seem to get lots of enjoyment and satisfaction from rolling around in the dirt. This youngster spent several minutes having a great time getting dusted up before racing off to rejoin the herd.

It will be great to see these beasts back in Banff National Park in the near future.