H.J. Ruiz – Avian101

On previous posts I’ve written about birds that apparently are less impermeable feathers than other. Most birds excrete a natural preen oil and spread while grooming, that helps protect their plumage from mites, bacteria etc. At the same time making their feathers almost water-proof .

Some other birds go a little further when it comes to protection.

In the behavior called anting, birds rub insects on their feathers, usually ants, which secrete liquids containing chemicals such as formic acid, that can act as an insecticide, miticide, fungicide, bactericide, or to make them edible by removing the distasteful acid. It possibly also supplements the bird’s own preen oil. Instead of ants, birds can also use millipedes. Over 250 species of bird have been known to ant.

It has been suggested that anting acts as way of reducing feather parasites such as mites or in controlling fungi or bacteria, although there has been little convincing support for any of the theories. It is possible that the use of certain kinds of ants indicates the importance of the chemicals they release. Some cases of anting involved the use of millipedes or Puss Moth caterpillars, and these too are known to release powerful defensive chemicals.

Another suggested function, based on observation of Blue Jays, is that the bird makes the insects edible, by discharging the harmful acid onto their feathers. The birds were found to show anting behavior only if the ants had a full acid sac, and with subjects whose acid sacs had been experimentally removed, the behavior was absent.

Finally, it has also been suggested that anting is related to feather molting. However, the correlation may also be attributed to the greater activity of ants in summer.

The following photos are of two species of birds that are known to practice “anting”: Blue Jays and Common Grackles.

Text excerpts © Wikipedia  —- Text and photographs © H.J. Ruiz – Avian 101