Post Messenger Recorder -

Most birds, large and small, function better with dry feathers.  Very few birds fly for cover when it rains though.  As soon as the rainfall breaks, birds go into a getting dry mode.  For some, that means getting and staying out of wet vegetation provided by an open field, roadside corridor or perching on a limb or structure with no overhanging leaves.

These drying out endeavors surely led to the phrase, "spread eagle" when a Bald Eagle stretched out its wings and tail to allow the precipitation to evaporate.

Turkeys, Turkey Vultures, Hawks and large gamebirds successfully copied these techniques.

Some dog tricks follow, too, including violent head and neck shaking, and sometimes involving the bird's body.

Preening, a type of feather combing and arranging, is practiced, too, and may include adding some oily substances using the bird's bill, but there are body parts not accessible to these forms of primping, including the head and neck.