Photographer captures rare image of a crow taking an 'ant bath' known as 'anting'

[Still Waters]

Photographer Tony Austin recently captured a peculiar image of a crow with its wings covered in dozens of tiny black ants in the throes of what appeared to be a behaviour he described as a "very odd and violent dirt bath." 

The image also captured the imagination of hundreds of devotees of a Facebook group called Picture Perfect Vancouver Island after the Metchosin, B.C., photographer posted it on Monday.

"I'd never seen anything like this," said Austin. "It was odd but exciting behaviour."

Austin was in Victoria's Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary that day, and when a murder of crows landed close to him, he noticed what appeared to be a bird in distress.

His photographic instincts kicked in, and he crouched down to capture a close-up — a chance encounter one bird expert says is quite rare.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/curious-crow-behavior-known-as-anting-looks-like-violent-dirt-bath-1.6053823

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/photographer-captures-crow-taking-ant-bath-180977939/

[Abramelin]

I always thought that 'anting' is a corvid's way of getting rid of parasites.

Maybe they even get a kick out of it, who knows?

[Abramelin]

5 minutes ago, Abramelin said:

I always thought that 'anting' is a corvid's way of getting rid of parasites.

Maybe they even get a kick out of it, who knows?

They do a lot more to get rid of parasites:

link

[SHaYap]

Happens a lot in the oceans too... 

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