Birds can be weird, and one of the weirdest things they’ve been known to do is called “anting.” Though the specifics can vary, at its most basic, anting involves birds rubbing ants on themselves.
To date, over 200 species of birds have been observed engaging in this behavior, and no one is entirely sure why they do it.Among the most common birds found to indulge in anting behavior are songbirds such as the blue jay, which were the focus of an extensive 2008 study on the phenomenon. But species as varied as crows, turkeys, and owls have all been observed indulging in the little understood ritual.
There are two types of anting, “passive” and “active.” In passive anting, birds will lay down on anthills, feathers spread, allowing hundreds of ants to swarm their bodies, climbing between their feathers. During active anting, birds have been seen to pick up ants in their beaks and frantically rub them all over their bodies and under their wings. After the ant exposure is over, the birds often eat the ants. However, the behavior has also been observed in species that do not normally eat ants.
Ever since…
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