Allopreening FeatureAllopreening is a behavior often seen in a mated pair of birds (allogrooming also occurs in mammal species most notably primates). Allopreening is the mutual preening of another birds feathers. Sometimes the preening will switch back and forth from bird to bird. This behavior can be performed to enhance feather maintenance (keeping feathers clean of parasites) or to strengthen social bonds. The receiver of the preening will often lower their head, fluff out their feathers and in general have an 'Awwmygawh that feels good' look on their face. Birds attached to humans will also preen their humans, either trying to preen their hair, beard, moustache, eyebrows...eyelashes... It's one of the most adorable bird behaviors I've ever seen (well, with the exception of a parrot trying to preen your eyelashes, that might hurt).Allopreening Feature by *DeeOtter
So here is a feature of birds being adorable with each other!
#39: Flights of Fancy by James GurneyFlights of Fancy by James Gurney, copyright 1996.#39: Flights of Fancy by James Gurney by *sequentialscott
From Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter, p. 181.
This analysis copyright Scott M. McDaniel, 2011
The Image
Before I say anything else, if you're an artist you should go buy both of James Gurney's books about painting. If you like the approach this blog takes to analyzing paintings, you'll love Gurney's approach in these books. The one this painting is from is Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter, and his first one is Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn't Exist. (As a former technical writer I also like the presentation - each topic is a 2-page spread with a summar
Joy 
I hope you had fun in Vegas! Wish I could have gone.
Sta.sh
