Anting (behavior)

Anting is a maintenance behavior in which birds rub insects, usually ants, over their feathers and skin, either holding a single ant in the beak to rub over the body or lying in a dense concentration of insects and wallowing in them as in dust bathing. Because ants secrete chemicals such as formic acid in their own defense against bacteria and parasites, it has been hypothesized that anting lets birds use that acid as a deterrent against similar ailments, though it has also been suggested that anting instead makes the insects more edible by removing their distasteful acid or supplements the bird's own preen oil. More than 200 bird species are known to practice anting, a behavior thought to serve a function similar to the self anointing behavior seen in some mammals. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/