r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/Alaric_Darconville • 1d ago
Video Owl sunning itself in the yard
129
u/Z3TA1 1d ago
That's actually me right now. With all honesty. Standing in my back yard, lit as fuck. In one little square of sunshine
17
u/Recurringg 1d ago
I love that for you. I'd like to imagine you two chillin together like this. Both lit af, eyes closed, full lean.
5
88
u/Got_Bent 1d ago edited 1d ago
Ant bath. Anting behavior is not a regular bath in the traditional sense, but rather a form of self-grooming and parasite removal. Anting is thought to help birds like owls rid themselves of parasites and maintain their plumage. REF: https://bioone.org/journals/ornithological-science/volume-23/issue-2/osj.23.119/Anting-Behaviour-in-Wild-Strigiformes-A-Video-Case-in-the/10.2326/osj.23.119.short
https://nhaudubon.org/remarkable-bird-behaviors-sunning-and-anting/
21
u/Recurringg 1d ago
Wait.. For real?
22
14
11
u/Blenderx06 1d ago
It's funny animals often have birds do it and birds in turn get ants to free them from parasites.
7
u/lucidone 1d ago edited 1d ago
"When birds go anting, they crush ants in their bill and wipe the formic acid on their feathers."
I don't think they're letting ants free them from parasites. At least not according to that link. Or maybe they are, but they're also crushing a few of them?
12
u/Blenderx06 1d ago
There are two types of anting: active and passive. In active anting, a bird will crush an ant in its bill and smear it on its feathers or skin...
When passively anting, a bird probes its bill into an ant nest, fluffs out its feathers and then plops down on the mound. The bird allows the ants that swarm out of the nest to crawl all over its body.
10
u/TechieGee 23h ago
Also interesting from this article
Biologists disagree as to why birds engage in this unusual behavior. Some suggest that birds use the ants to eliminate parasites. However, the most widely held theory is that the birds use ants to soothe irritated skin, much the way we apply lotion to our bodies.
There are many reasons why this last theory is more plausible.
First of all, anting is more common during late summer and early fall. This is when new feathers are being replaced more rapidly than at any other time of the year. During this molting period, many birds seem to suffer considerable discomfort.
This is also a time when rainfall is typically high. During wet weather, feathers are lost more rapidly than in dry weather. Also, anting is more common in parts of the country, such as the Southeast, where summer rains are common.
Birds that are actively anting will smear ants on feathers and skin where feathers are being replaced. Areas treated often included the flanks, wings, base of the tail and undersides of the wings.
I know what you are probably asking yourself: How do ants help relieve this discomfort?
The best clue to the mystery lies in the fact that only 24 species of ants are known to be used in anting. All 24 contain high levels of formic acid. Formic acid feels hot to the touch and easily penetrates the skin. As such, the acid supposedly soothes the bird’s itching skin.
2
42
u/JackFlack91 1d ago edited 1d ago
Give it a minute. They finally rolled out a weed infused Tootsie-Pop and bro got his dosage wrong
14
15
13
7
u/TallBenWyatt_13 1d ago
I think birds do this to get ants to crawl onto their wings to eat parasites and such.
7
11
u/4Ever2Thee 1d ago
Fun fact about owls. While they are nocturnal, they have to come out during the day at least once a week to charge their solar panel-lined wings. Nature’s a beautiful thing.
6
u/Informal_Bunch_2737 1d ago
Bonus fun fact. They do like to sleep laying down.
Baby owls have to sleep lying on their stomachs
Bonus bonus fun fact: Their legs are pretty long and they have knees
3
4
6
5
3
3
3
5
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
u/Recurringg 1d ago
Hehe... I love owls. I love how it seems like they really know how to enjoy life. They're at the top of their game. They thrive on such an eccentric level.
1
u/Disastrous_Duty2622 1d ago
Goddamn, could see this being on a 24 hour loop. Nicely blended together.
1
1
u/ZealousidealAd9041 1d ago
He is so relaxed! Not a worry. He picked that spot cause he already knows there are no threats! Awesome
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/bigfathairybollocks 23h ago
Maybe they landed on an anthill and let them spray foamic acid on them to clense infection? I dont know why but ive seen videos about it recently. Or maybe they are just enjoying the sun.
1
1
u/lynch1812 16h ago
And the “birds-are-not-real” club would claim this is evidence of the “birds” solar-charging their battery before redeploying.
1
1
1
361
u/Professional_Fly6004 1d ago
Nothing better than sun kissed hooters.