Gary Wiles and I have been searching for others with observations of this
behavior since we observed a flock of over 50 starlings gathered at a thatch
ant mound in the Nisqually bottom last December, on an unusually warm day
when the ants were active on the mound's surface. We watched birds, with
ants clasped in beaks, as they rubbed the ants vigorously on their feathers.
We haven't been able to find many observations of this behavior out here in
the west. So, we're quite interested in the topic and any observations
others may have made.



Kelly McAllister

Olympia, Washington



_____

From: tweeters-bounces at mailman2.u.washington.edu
[mailto:tweeters-bounces at mailman2.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Linda B
Sent: Friday, June 18, 2010 7:19 AM
To: Tweeters
Subject: [Tweeters] Anting



We had the fun yesterday watching a robin 'anting' in a in an ant hill that
has developed in our heathers just outside the window, and made a video clip
of it. Fascinating! The bird loooked like he was being bitten as he would
jump around, then quickly do some preening, sit back down and then hop up
quickly, and preen some more. This continued for 3 or 4 minutes. Has
anyone on the list observed this behavior? Are the ants actually biting
them?? I've read that the ants may be removing parasites, or creating
toxins beneficial for grooming--maybe no one knows for sure, but it was
quite amazing to observe. I've often seen flickers eating ants from the
hill, but this was the first time watching a bird taking 'the ant cure'.



Linda Bartlett

Kent, WA