I came across a small flock of Common Linnets (Carduelis cannabina) having a bath in a small stream flowing onto the beach at Fornos, near the town of Cariño, in Galicia, Spain (1).

Linnets (Pardillo in Spanish) are quite common in Spain, and flocks can be seen throughout the year along both sides of the Ria Ortigueira. These birds were bathing and preening in late April.

There’s not a lot to say about them, but it is interesting to see how vigorously they bath and how they shake their heads rapidly to and fro.

Where there were two males together, I got the impression that one would bath and the other would keep a watch out; but this might just have been a co-incidence.

They also seem to like to get water right up under the breast feathers. Who wouldn’t! The two males in the following photo appear to have lifted up their breast feathers and you can see black under the red and white feathers. Must be wearing a vest!

After bathing they spend some time sitting and preening and generally drying off. You can see glimpses of black (skin?) under the feathers on this female (below).

1. http://www.turgalicia.es/ficha-recurso?langId=en_US&cod_rec=10196&ctre=15