Dustbathing and Feather Lipid in Bobwhite (colznus Vzrgznzanus)

The general sequence of dustbathing components in Bobwhite (Co&us uirginiunus) has been described and the frequency of some of the components found to increase with dust deprivation ( Borchelt et al. 1973 ) Upon replication, a sex X deprivation interaction for the frequency of some components was discovered, with male Bobwhite exhibiting greater increases than females ( Borchelt 1972). I observed in both these experiments that birds deprived of dust for 5 days had a more “oily” appearance than birds which had just dustbathed. Furthermore, casual observations indicated the frequency of “oiling” behavior remained about the same when birds were deprived of dust. These observations suggest that dustbathing functions as part of a regulatory system serving to maintain an optimum amount of oil, or lipid, on the surface of the feathers. In such a system, a relatively constant frequency of “oiling” behavior deposits lipid from the uropygial gland onto the surface of the feathers. This lipid substance insures adequate waterproofing of the feathers, maintenance of insulation, and reduction of wear and chances of breakage (Simmons 1964). Presumably, when the amount of lipid increases above some critical level, the bird dustbathes. Dustbathing thus removes lipid from the plumage when it is absorbed by the dust and shaken out of the plumage. This explanation for avian dustbathing suggests that there is lipid accumulation on the plumage when a bird is prevented from dustbathing. The purpose of this study is to confirm the previously observed increase in lipid on the plumage of Bobwhite which had been deprived of dust.