From NYS Dept Of Environmental Conservation
This short-eared owl is showing off a behavior known as “rousing”. Rousing is when a bird lifts and shakes out its feathers, often to rearrange displaced feathers and shake off water and dust during grooming. It’s also a sign of a relaxed and content bird.
I think my chickens do that!
From some quick browsing, it seems like most, if not all birds will rouse. It sounds much like it serves most of the same functions as a puppy dog shake - floofing up the feathers/fur, shaking off water/dust, or for some invigoration after a nap.
I also stumbled on this short article about it as part of a pre-flight behavior and how as a photographer to use this understanding as a tool to catch take off shots:
A raptor at rest will often perform one or more of the following behaviors just prior to taking off.
- poop (possibly a weight-saving device)
- wing-stretch (stretches flight muscles prior to use)
- turn into the breeze or wind (makes takeoff easier, so it requires less energy)
- rouse (shaking to reorganize out of place feathers, which makes flight more efficient)
All these things do line up with my own experiences watching birds.
Oh interesting!
