dust-bath

British  

noun

1. the action of a bird of driving dust into its feathers, which may dislodge parasites

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Example Sentences

The next day, a baby elephant is given a dust-bath in the red earth after being fed bottled milk by a keeper at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Elephant Orphanage in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi.

From BBC

The nests should be in rows around the room, the feeding and water-troughs in the centre, with the dust-bath at one end.

From Project Gutenberg

All this while Mrs Blunt was getting up and sitting down, and rustling about like an old hen in a dust-bath, to get herself in position; when quite suddenly there was a sharp scream and a crash; and, on jumping up, I could see the lady principal upon the floor behind the dais where she had pulled over the table, and the ink was trickling down upon her neck.

From Project Gutenberg

I shot gayly through the barn into the hen yard, and the sound of the ripping clapboards frightened the silly hens who were enjoying a dust-bath, and they fled in more directions than there were fowls.

From Project Gutenberg

They are very partial to a dust-bath.

From Project Gutenberg