
Some species of birds like to rub themselves with ants (2017) - Osiris30
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/mystery-bird-anting
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rdtsc
> This theory posits that the formic acid produced by ants might act as a sort
> of stimulant for birds, and might even be addictive.

I like that idea. I also remember growing up we used to put straw on top of
ant hills waiting for ants to "attack it" with formic acid, then we'd lick the
straw. It was a fun sour taste. Since birds groom their feathers, maybe they
just enjoy it like kids might enjoy sour candy.

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dmix
Where did you learn to do that?

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rdtsc
Other kids showed me. How did they learn? Not sure, same way :-) But yeah, at
some point someone decided "Hey, I know, I'll put this stick in the anthill
then lick it to see what it tastes like".

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joshuaheard
My dog used to rub himself on earthworms he found in the lawn. Very strange. I
thought maybe since earthworms have high antifungal and and antibacterial
properties, he was trying to medicate himself? Ants have similar properties.

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acdanger
Interesting. Was it just earth worms? Many breeds rub their bodies into the
earth especially when there's a strong (usually bad) odor present.

I've heard the theory that the behavior is intended to mask the dog's own odor
which could aid in hunting.

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joshuaheard
Come to think of it, he did rub on other things too like that. Maybe it was to
hide his scent.

