birdmeister
Well-known member
Hello all,
Yesterday evening I observed some very peculiar behavior in my backyard, a behavior that I have not seen before.
Around 18:30 I was alerted to the sight of about 10 robins on the back lawn. Upon closer inspection, I saw that about half of them were preening. However, it was not a normal kind of preening. The robins were spreading their wings and tails out at odd angles, sometimes letting their wings touch the ground. They would first pick at the grass, then they would begin the aforementioned preening behavior. This went on for almost an hour, with most (I believe) engaging in this behavior at some point, even juveniles. By the end of the hour, most were now picking at the grass and eating something.
I suspect they were "anting" for two reasons. First, I can't figure out why they would all deliberately preen in an unusual manner on the ground. Second, I don't think they could have been sunbathing because it was late afternoon/early evening and the sun was not strong.
I can confirm there are a lot of ants in the yard, as many times I have either sat down or set something up in the yard, and ants would start congregating aggressively. This is true for a good portion of the yard.
If they were all "anting", though, why did they do it together and why have I not seen them do it before?
Unfortunately I did not get any pictures showing their behavior.
Thank you in advance for helping me decipher the latest bird "ant-ics" in my yard!
Yesterday evening I observed some very peculiar behavior in my backyard, a behavior that I have not seen before.
Around 18:30 I was alerted to the sight of about 10 robins on the back lawn. Upon closer inspection, I saw that about half of them were preening. However, it was not a normal kind of preening. The robins were spreading their wings and tails out at odd angles, sometimes letting their wings touch the ground. They would first pick at the grass, then they would begin the aforementioned preening behavior. This went on for almost an hour, with most (I believe) engaging in this behavior at some point, even juveniles. By the end of the hour, most were now picking at the grass and eating something.
I suspect they were "anting" for two reasons. First, I can't figure out why they would all deliberately preen in an unusual manner on the ground. Second, I don't think they could have been sunbathing because it was late afternoon/early evening and the sun was not strong.
I can confirm there are a lot of ants in the yard, as many times I have either sat down or set something up in the yard, and ants would start congregating aggressively. This is true for a good portion of the yard.
If they were all "anting", though, why did they do it together and why have I not seen them do it before?
Unfortunately I did not get any pictures showing their behavior.
Thank you in advance for helping me decipher the latest bird "ant-ics" in my yard!