What is the word to describe a bird organizing its feathers?

Which verb most accurately and commonly describes a bird's daily behavior to make its feathers clean and organized.

• "organize" its feathers

• "brush" its feathers

• "clean" its feathers?

Solution 1:

The verb is to preen:

[ I or T ] If a bird preens or preens itself, it cleans and arranges its feathers using its beak.

(Cambridge Dictionary)

preening macaw parrot

From (blog.parrotessentials.co.uk)

Solution 2:

To preen is the primo answer. OED provided by @user240918

intransitive. Of a bird: to tend its feathers with its beak, arranging, cleaning, and generally maintaining them.

consideration to alternatives:

to plume OED

b. Of a bird: to preen or trim (the feathers or wings). Also fig. (frequently with the suggestion of preparation for something, as a bird preens prior to flight).

As in:

1998 Anchorage (Alaska) Daily News (Nexis) Delap admired the bird as it clambered out on the ice and plumed its feathers ...

to groom OED

transitive. Of an animal: to clean the skin, hair, etc., of (another of its family or group). Also reflexive: to clean and tidy itself.

As in: Social Psychology google books

If all birds in an interacting population were to operate on a rule of uncontingent altruism, things would go well for them; each individual would sometimes bear the costs of grooming and sometimes enjoy the benefits of being groomed.