I know there has been some debate here and elsewhere as to whether
large birds such as Choughs, Pied Currawongs and Magpies, which are
seen lying on the ground in full sun with their feathers fluffed up
are sun-bathing or anting (ie letting ants crawl through their
feathers and either passively or actively having the ants secrete acid
which can clean the feathers).
In the Australian National Botanic Gardens this afternoon I cam across
a very tame party of Choughs with several juveniles. As they were
milling around and feeding I noticed that one was lying on its side in
the litter and its eyes were in the excited state. I don;t think the
bird was worried that I was there as, as I said, they were very tame,
and it made no move away when I came close to take a picture. (I have
sent this picture, a close-up of the excited eye, to ABID,
www.aviceda.net/abid).
After a while all the birds moved on and I returned to the spot where
this individual had been lolling and I found no ants at all, not even
on digging down. So it seems this one, at any rate, was sun-bathing
(the spot was in full sun).
--
John Leonard
Canberra
Australia
www.jleonard.net
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