Leaf bathing is usually done on a leaf large enough for the bird to roll over in order for the feathers to absorb the water droplets on the leaf surface LINK.
In the case of this Coppersmith Barbet (Megalaima haemacephala), its behaviour is unique as these are compound leaves, meaning that each leaf is made up of numerous small leaflets.
The barbet thus flies from leaf clumps to leaf clumps. At each leaf clump its body makes contact with the small leaflets in order “harvest” enough water droplets to get a good “bath” (see video below).
Lakshmi Ravishankar
Pune, India
4th September 2017