What do robins, marigolds,
cigarette butts and ants have in common?
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| Male Robin hunting, possibly for ants? Photo by Grandma Pearl |
Lemons, limes and
marigolds grow in a garden, are all natural; but then what about the cigarette
butts, mothballs and ants. Any guesses
yet?
I won’t keep you wondering any longer. All of these seemingly disjointed objects are
used in a mysterious ritual known as “anting”.
What in the world is “anting”, you ask?
You know, for as long as I can remember, when referring to
people who are less than average in intelligence, the phrases ‘bird brain’ and
‘feather brain’ are routinely employed. The birds and I take exception to
this! In fact, birds often demonstrate
their aptitude for performing tasks, playing with found objects, and using
tools!
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| Blue Jays are noted for using ants to spray their feathers; and they love to eat the little critters as well! Photo by Grandma Pearl |
Anting demonstrates just such a use of
‘tools’. Birds use live ants to ‘squirt’
formic acid onto their feathers. There
are a couple of theories as to the real purpose of “anting”, which is used by
over 200 species of birds. Some believe
it is a form of prey preparation. Birds
somehow realize that before consuming them, it is best to empty the poison sac
the ants carry in their abdomen. By
squeezing the ant in just the right place, birds avoid damaging the ‘crop’ or
nutritious abdomen, and a possible painful attack from the business end of the
ant’s pincers. When the ant feels the
‘pinch’, its defense system goes into ‘red alert status’, and out from its
poison sac comes formic acid. After
combing its feathers, the bird can then safely enjoy a tasty ant hors d’oevre!
There are 2 schools of thought on the reason behind the ritual of 'anting'. Food preparation and natural insecticide. Read more . . .
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