To set the stage...I sit next to a window at work. It is beside a fenced-in
grass-covered backyard with a few dead spots. Hearing a lot of crow talk
outside my window I saw 3 crows sitting on the ground near one of the brown
spots. They had flattened themselves down and spread their wings, almost
like manteling (sp?). There was a lot of self-grooming going on. They also
would take turns grooming each other. One crow would be flattened out on
the ground with wings and tail spread; the other would stand on the tail
and groom the first bird. At first I though the groomer had stepped on the
gromee's tail accidentally, but soon saw that it was deliberate. I don't
know if the posture was simply to facilitate the grooming behavior or if
there were ants in this area and the birds were trying to get the ants to
crawl on them and spread formic acid on the birds' skin. I have heard of
sparrows taking "ant baths" but don't know for sure if ants were involved
since I can't get to the area where the birds were located. Perhaps both
ant bathing and buddy-grooming were occurring. I have heard that parasites
are a greater problem than usual this year, or perhaps I'm just more aware
of it.

I'd really like to hear about any similar experiences or literature on this
behavior. Looking forward to your responses.

Regards,
Joanne Powell
Spokane
jhpowell at snapwa.org