Namaqua SANDGROUSE - male feather soaking (Pterocles namaqua). Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa. Male sandgrouse will dip their belly feathers under the surface of the water to allow them to absorb water like a sponge: each gram of feather can absorb up to eight grams of water. They will then fly back to their nest where their chicks can drink the water directly from the breast feathers. (sand grouse).