It was raining on and off but never too heavy. I went to the
back of the house to survey the plants around the backyard.
There, perching on a bare branch of my curry-leaf tree (Murraya
koenigii) was a Yellow-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier). It
was apparently enjoying the slight drizzle that was still on. It
fluttered its body feathers, fanned out its tail and shook its
body. It even raised its wings and indulged in some wet
preening. It remained there for some minutes before it spotted
me photographing it. Then it flew off to a nearby kantan or
torch ginger plant (Etlingera elatior) and enjoyed a leaf bath.
Leaf bathing is the term used when birds make use of the water
droplets accumulated on large leaves to bathe. The water in this
case came from the rain but it may well come from dew, condensed
fog or even from the garden sprinkler or water hose. Leaf
bathing was first reported by L.F. Baptista. In 1971 he observed
a Rufous-crowned Sparrow (Aimophila ruficeps) bathing on leaves
of an eucalyptus in Berke