In the wild, birds have developed many fascinating behaviors to survive and stay healthy. One such behavior is called anting, a unique maintenance activity observed in numerous bird species around the world.
Anting is a maintenance behavior during which birds rub insects, usually ants, on their feathers & skin. The insects secrete liquids containing chemicals such as formic acid, which can act as an insecticide, miticide, fungicide, or bactericide. This natural process helps birds rid themselves of parasites, fungi, and harmful bacteria without needing external sources of medicine or treatment.
There are two types of anting: active anting, where a bird picks up ants and rubs them directly on its body, and passive anting, where the bird lies on an ant-covered area and lets the insects crawl through its feathers. In both methods, the goal remains the same—using the ants’ defensive secretions to maintain feather and skin health.
Formic acid, a key ingredient in this process, is particularly effective at controlling mites and other feather pests. This chemical defense, naturally produced by ants, offers multiple benefits including pest control, soothing irritation, and possibly even aiding in molting.
Scientists are still studying whether anting has additional functions, such as dietary enrichment or aiding in feather conditioning. However, its role as a natural form of pest control is widely recognized.
The next time you see a bird seemingly playing with ants, remember—anting is a maintenance behavior during which birds rub insects, usually ants, on their feathers & skin. The insects secrete liquids containing chemicals such as formic acid, which can act as an insecticide, miticide, fungicide, or bactericide. It’s not just a quirky ritual—it’s a brilliant survival strategy crafted by nature itself.
It turns out that he’d photographed a little-seen behavior known as anting.
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Maybe to let them eat lice or fleas ?
Veeeeeery interesting !
I bet the ants go and chomp up any parasites and their eggs.
I have an anthill in.my garden in Stockholm. I have seen blackbirds bathing in it. They lie on the top of it. I think they do this to get rid of vermin in their feathers. I use to say that I have both restaurang and SPA for birds in my garden. Greetings Anna-Liisa
I’m just guessing, but maybe the crow is allowing the ants to remove/eat some type of parasite. Then perhaps, the crow eats it’s guests (ants).
I could halfway see their original concept of letting one ant at a time crawl up their wing. This way they have some control over the ants.
However, unless it was an act of desperation because the parasitic activity on the crow was so overwhelming & unbearable, it resorted to allowing the ants to crawl all over its body at once to consume the aggressive parasites. Of course, that would have to be “out-of-your-mind” desperation. Other than that, I’’m pretty lost on this.
Just a thought.
So do the crows eat the ants?
Ravens are so intelligent, as are most birds. This is an amazing capture! Sort of like using leeches to remove infection, but preventative, seemingly.
I suspect that birds have found that if they are infested with too many parasites, like lice or maybe even a fungus, the ants will swarm it and eat the offending parasites. But they need to cover their eyes and other sensitive parts.
Maybe they do that so the ants will eat parisites or smaller insects on the crows?
Do ants rid a bird of lice?
My cat used to lay on ants nest in the summer. In the late 70s ..I always thought it was using them as an insecticide.
And why was only one bird doing that? Maybe it had an lnfestation of fleas or some other nuisance!