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Sand grouse.

Pointy-tailed relatives of pigeons live in some of the most parched environments on earth.

To satisfy the thirst of newly hatched chicks, male sandgrouse bring water back to the nest by carrying it in their feathers.

Sounds incredible and for decades scientists thought it was just a myth, but it's not.

In the cool of the desert morning, the male flies up to 20 miles to a shallow waterhole, then wades in up to his belly.

The water is collected by rocking. The bird shifts its body side to side and

repeatedly shakes the belly feathers in the water.

Philip can take as long as 15 minutes.

Thanks to coiled hair-like extensions on the feathers of the underparts,

a sandgrouse can soak up and transport 25 millilaters of liquid.

That's close to two tablespoons.

Once the male has flown back across the desert with his life-giving cargo, the sandgrass

chills chicks crowd around him and use their bills like tiny squeegeies,

milking their father's belly feathers for

bird note I'm Mary McCann.

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