The Fascinating Way Crows Use Ant Hills as a Cure When They’re Sick

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00:00The fascinating way crows use ant hills as a cure when they're sick.

00:05When ants cover an animal, it's usually dead, but not always with birds.

00:10Some species, like crows, let ants crawl on their feathers in a process called anting.

00:15Birdwatchers have long observed it, but researchers still don't fully understand why birds do

00:20it.

00:24Anting tends to come in two forms.

00:26One is when the birds pick up ants with their beaks and rub it on themselves.

00:30The second is when they sit on an anthill and wait for the ants to crawl up their feathers.

00:35Photographer Tony Austin captured the second type of anting at Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary

00:40in British Columbia.

00:42During a nature walk, a murder of crows landed nearby, and he noticed one bird acting strangely.

00:51One bird out of the group seemed to be taking a dust bath, but it appeared to be a bit more

00:55frantic than normal, with its wings splayed out on the gravel, said Austin to my Modern

01:00Met.

01:01The crow would leap into the air, land in the brush by the path, and then jump back onto

01:05the dirt path.

01:06He first thought the bird was in distress, but his kin didn't react.

01:10And after a few minutes, they all flew off to the trees.

01:16Austin didn't realize he'd witnessed a rare behavior among the crows until he got home.

01:21The lighting made it hard to see the ants, but while editing, he noticed them on the

01:25bird.

01:26At first, he thought the crow had made a bad choice landing on an anthill and was stunned

01:30by what he saw.

01:34Austin shared the photos in a local wildlife photography Facebook group, NPR Reports.

01:40Many were confused or concerned the crow was being attacked.

01:44But some recognized the behavior as anting, first noted in the 1830s by James Audubon

01:48with turkeys.

01:49A 2021 review found over 200 bird species practice it or have similar behaviors.

01:59Scientists aren't sure why exactly birds do anting.

02:02However, several theories exist on this interesting phenomenon.

02:06One suggests ants soothe skin after molting.

02:08Another says they reduce parasites.

02:11Ants are used to release formic acid when threatened, which can kill lice in labs, though

02:15not proven on birds.

02:17Anting may also aid grooming, provide stimulation, or improve ant taste.

02:25Bird watchers and gardeners have seen birds anting with other creatures and substances.

02:30These include bombardier beetles and millipedes, which release insecticidal chemicals, as well

02:35as marigolds, mothballs, and citrus rinds containing D-limonene and citronellol.

02:40All known to repel insects.