Sunbathing Stonechat

Sunbathing is appealing to birds. This stonechat is lapping up the sunshine here on Dartmoor.

It could be sunbathing because it’s a useful way of maintaining its feathers, loosening dirt before preening. It’s certainly fluffed itself up, with its feathers erect.

It could be sunbathing because it’s a useful way of parasite control, with a chance to warm up the mites and lice that plague it, making them easier to dispose of when preening.

It could be sunbathing because it’s a method of generating vitamin D by exposing the oils on its feathers to sunlight, which it then ingests when it preens.

It could be sunbathing because it wants to raise its body temperature on a cold morning, just like lizards and snakes do, to thermoregulate.

I think, however, that it’s sunbathing simply because it enjoys it.