sunning...

...not damaged or even dead! which was what I thought the first time I saw an Aussie Magpie prostrate on hot earth on a very hot day.

They become literally comatose when sun bathing and look incredibly uncomfortable- all loose limbs and flabby feathers but here are possible reasons:

Why do birds sun themselves? There are a range of theories, some of which seem fairly obvious (to warm up or to dry themselves out). Other theories are more elaborate, including speculation that sunning is used to kill parasites or at least to make them move to more accessible places where they can be dispatched more easily. Another hypothesis is that it helps to generate vitamin D from a bird’s preen oil. Others believe it may ease the discomfort associated with moulting. There is also another possibility— that the birds do it simply for pleasure. Since we can’t ask, we will never know whether this is the case, but many birds do seem to relax and enjoy sunning!   birdlife.org.au