Preening, Loretober Day Sixteen!

Preening is how all feathered creatures clean and maintain their plumage, but how exactly do harpies preen when they don't have beaks and have sharp talons on their hands?

Solo Preening
Although time-consuming, preening is not as difficult as you may think. There are separate ways to groom that focus on particular needs that a harpy's feathers may have.

For instance, waterproofing! Harpies have a uropygial gland near their tails that creates a natural oil that they spread along their feathers, creating a barrier that prevents feathers from absorbing water and getting weighed down. This oil coating helps them keep dry in rain, keeps their feathers supple, and allows them to more easily remove dirt from them when taking freshwater baths. Alongside this, a few times a year, harpies will completely remove this oil with soap-like substances in order to deep clean themselves, then reapply their waterproof oil fresh. Although exterior cleansers, like soap, are only used once in a while for feathers, harpies use them to wash their hands and feet, particularly before entering their nests for the night.

Another example of harpy grooming would be maintaining their pin feathers. Harpies replace their feathers at a much slower rate than a bird does due to their size and sheer amount of them. It takes a lot of energy to regrow so many new feathers, so harpies typically molt in small batches over the course of years rather than all at once. When a new feather is grown, it comes in a casing made of keratin that needs to be removed in order to release the feather. Birds use their beaks and feet to remove these casings, but harpies instead use their knuckles and teeth, depending on how easily accessible the feather is. When using their knuckles, they grind the feather casing between two of them carefully until it falls off. Using their teeth, they gently bite the casing, careful to not get too much saliva on it before spitting it out, though some harpies will simply swallow it down to avoid the fuss. If the casing is sensitive or difficult to remove, then the new feather is not ready to be released yet, so it must be left alone until it's time.

For hard to reach pin feathers, there are a myriad of ways to try to get at them by such as: harpy made combs, scratching sticks, and even scratching up against trees.

Social Preening
A common activity between friends, family, and mates is preening each other. How close the harpies are will determine where they are allowed to touch and whether or not they can use their mouths, or just their hands. If you glance at the erogenous zone post from the beginning of the month, that'll give you a good idea of social expectations when it comes to preening. There is an exception for immediate family members, particularly parents of young harpies, who are expected to help their children preen everywhere, but it is seen as dubious for family members to use their mouths to preen their children's back, chest, and groin, when their knuckles will more than suffice.