House Sparrows,Taking a Dirt Bath!

It’s true! Three lovely adult female house sparrows were taking dirt baths in my backyard! It seems that their process is to make rounded indentations in the ground first, in essence creating a “tub.” Once the tub is created, each bird then moves around and shakes its body and feathers to dust up the dirt and take a dirt bath. So wonderful to capture these sweeties once they decided to soak in the sun for a bit, post-bath! Click on the photo to get a better view of the birds and their “tubs.”

For a long time, I didn’t know what the source of these backyard indentations were. I now often see them after I finish my weekend backyard clean-up duties. They don’t stay too long in the “tub” though; once vacated, new visitors, including adult males, also take a bath!