Ants are a common food source for many species of birds. In the opening paragraphs, we’ll provide a quick overview of some of the bird species known to eat ants as part of their diet.
Birds That Regularly Eat Ants
Many species of birds are considered “ant-eating specialists.” These birds have evolved adaptations that allow them to routinely consume ants and other insects. Some examples of birds that specialize in eating ants include:
- Woodpeckers – Woodpeckers use their long, sticky tongues to probe into trees and pull out ants and other insects.
- Flickers – These woodpecker relatives forage for ants on the ground, using their curved bill to dig in the dirt and find ant colonies.
- Antbirds – As their name suggests, these passerine birds of Central and South America eat large amounts of ants. Different species forage for ants in different ways.
- Antthrushes – Found in Central and South America, these thrush-like birds use their long bills to probe into ant nests.
- Antpittas – Another South American family of birds with strong legs and elongated bills for flipping over leaves and debris to find ants.
- Ovenbirds – Not to be confused with European ovenbirds, these New World warblers regularly eat ants.
- Yellowthroats – New World warblers in the genus Geothlypis are also known as ant-eating warblers.
Beyond these ant-specialists, many other species supplement their diets with ants opportunistically, including jays, grosbeaks, quail, pheasants, turkeys, grouse, nightjars, swifts, and more.
Adaptations for Eating Ants
Birds that regularly consume ants have evolved special physical and behavioral adaptations to allow them to take advantage of ants as a food source, including:
- Specialized bill shapes – Long, slender, curved bills can probe into wood or soil to extract ants.
- Sticky tongues – Some species like woodpeckers have extra-long tongues with special bristles or sticky saliva to grab ants.
- Strong legs – Digging birds like flickers have sturdy legs and long claws for scratching away at ant colonies.
- Tolerance of stings/bites – Some birds have thick skin or dense plumage to protect them from ant stings or bites.
- Behavioral specializations – Tactics like following ant trails, raiding ant nests, or using objects as “anvil sites” to crack open ant colonies.
Ant-Eating Birds Attracted to Disturbed Habitats
Ant colonies proliferate in disturbed habitats, and ant-eating birds can be drawn to such areas to take advantage of this plentiful food source. For example:
- Logged forests – Ant populations boom in logged forests, attracting woodpeckers and other ant-loving birds.
- Burned areas – Fire ants and other species thrive in recently burned forests, prairies, etc., bringing in antbirds and other species.
- Agricultural lands – Plowed fields and grazed lands host many species like harvester ants, luring in horned larks, quail, and other birds.
- Roadsides – Pavement edges and roadside grasses often harbor ant colonies, easily exploited by ground-foraging birds.
- Suburban yards – Landscaping and irrigation in suburban yards can create ideal habitat for many ant species, feeding flickers and other ant-eaters.
Access to abundant ants may help some of these bird populations offset other habitat disturbances and fluctuations in food availability.
Ants Are an Abundant, Nutritious Food Source
What makes ants such an attractive food item for so many bird species? A few key advantages include:
- High abundance – Ant colonies with hundreds to thousands of workers are common, providing a readily available source of food.
- Nutrient-rich – The bodies of ants contain high levels of protein, fats, and essential amino acids.
- Present year-round – As social insects, ant colonies persist through all seasons, unlike more seasonal food sources like insects or fruit.
- Stationary and clumped – Ant mounds and trails give birds stable locations to return to and exploit.
- Low toxins – Ants tend to have lower levels of noxious chemicals compared to other insects like beetles or true bugs.
With their dense, nutrition-packed bodies, ants can provide an excellent source of energy and nutrients for birds.
Ant-Eating Bird Species
Let’s take a closer look at some specific birds from different families that are known to regularly eat ants as a major portion of their diet:
Woodpeckers
Multiple woodpecker species are ant-feeding experts, including:
- Acorn woodpecker
- Downy woodpecker
- Hairy woodpecker
- Pileated woodpecker
- Northern flicker
- Gila woodpecker
- Golden-fronted woodpecker
- Red-bellied woodpecker
In addition to ants, they may eat some other insects, nuts, fruits,sap, and cambium, but ants are a primary food source for most species.
Tyrant Flycatchers
Many New World flycatchers in the tyrant flycatcher family are dedicated ant-feeders, such as:
- Western wood-pewee
- Eastern wood-pewee
- Willow flycatcher
- Pacific-slope flycatcher
- Black phoebe
- Eastern phoebe
These species sally out from perches to catch flying ants or glean them from foliage. Some also occasionally eat other insects.
Thrushes
Thrushes with strong ant-eating habits include:
- Clay-colored thrush
- Rufous-backed robin
- American robin
- Swainson’s thrush
- Hermit thrush
They use their sharp vision and nimble movements to spot and grab ants on the forest floor, supplementing with fruits and berries.
Warblers
A few ant-loving New World warbler species are:
- Prothonotary warbler
- Swainson’s warbler
- Tennessee warbler
- Orange-crowned warbler
- Nashville warbler
Many swallow ants on the wing, while others glean them from plants and the ground. Warblers also feed on other small insects.
Gamebirds
Gamebirds that regularly eat ants include:
- Ring-necked pheasant
- Ruffed grouse
- Wild turkey
- California quail
- Northern bobwhite
These species scratch at the ground with their feet to uncover ant nests. They consume other foods like seeds and plant matter as well.
Ant-Eating Bird Feeding Strategies
Different birds use specialized techniques to find and consume ants:
Bird Group | Feeding Behaviors |
---|---|
Woodpeckers | Use long sticky tongues to probe into trees; tap on wood to flush out ants |
Thrushes | Spot ants while walking along forest floor; grab with beak |
Warblers | Glean ants from leaves and branches; aerial flycatching |
Flycatchers | Sally out from perches to take ants mid-flight |
Gamebirds | Use feet to scratch open ant mounds; pick ants off ground |
This diversity of feeding techniques allows different birds to take advantage of ants in varied environments and situations.
Benefits of Ants in Birds’ Diets
Here are some key benefits ants may provide birds nutritionally and ecologically:
- High in protein – The high protein content of ants helps birds meet their dietary protein needs for growth and reproduction.
- Essential amino acids – Ant bodies provide essential amino acids like lysine that birds need for muscle formation, feather growth, etc.
- Source of fat – The bodies of some ants can be high in fats, offering a vital energy source for small birds.
- Minerals and vitamins – Ants provide important micronutrients like calcium, iron, and B vitamins.
- Year-round food – As mentioned earlier, ants provide a relatively stable food source across seasons.
- Fallback food – Ants may serve as an essential fallback food when other prey items are scarce.
Thanks to these nutritional and ecological advantages, ants can play a critical role in many birds’ diets and survival strategies.
Challenges of an Ant Diet for Birds
However, ant-eating does pose some challenges that birds have adapted to overcome:
- Small size – The tiny size of individual ants means birds must consume many to meet daily energy needs.
- Defensive strategies – Ants use chemical defenses like formic acid and stings/bites, requiring tolerance adaptations.
- Difficulty of access – Reaching underground or arboreal ant colonies takes specialized foraging behaviors.
- Low fat in some species – Certain lean ant species like harvester ants are lower in fat content.
- Monotonous diet – Relying heavily on one food item may lead to nutritional deficiencies over time.
But for birds that have evolved appropriate adaptations, the rewards of an ant-rich diet generally outweigh these difficulties.
Examples of Ant-Eating Bird Species
Let’s take a closer look at a few particular bird species that are strongly associated with ant-eating:
Northern Flicker
This widespread woodpecker consumes ants and other insects by foraging on the ground, probing into rotting wood, and drilling into trees. Ants can make up over half their annual diet. Flickers use their long tongue to lap up ants deep in wood. They also sometimes follow ant trails and raid colonies directly.
Brown Creeper
Brown creepers employ a unique strategy of hitching up tree trunks to pick ants and other insects off bark. They use their stiff tail feathers like a prop against the tree. Creepers carefully probe into crevices in bark to pick out ant colonies. Ants can comprise up to a third of their total food intake.
Swainson’s Thrush
This migratory thrush breeds across northern North America and consumes large numbers of ants. They spot ants walking on the forest floor by bobbing their head, then quickly grab them with their beak. Ants may make up over 60% of their diet during the breeding season, providing an abundant source of food at northern latitudes.
Willow Flycatcher
A common ant-eating flycatcher, these birds perch on branches and fly out to catch ants mid-air, sometimes eating over 90 ants per minute. They also glean ants from leaves and twigs. Ants can account for nearly half their annual food intake, forming a vital part of their diet.
Ruffed Grouse
Ruffed grouse frequently scratch away soil and forest litter to uncover ant colonies and consume the ants within. Ants are a especially important food for grouse chicks, accounting for as much as 40% of their diet. The high protein content helps fuel rapid growth.
Key Takeaways
Here are some key points to summarize some of the major details about birds that eat ants:
- Many woodpeckers, thrushes, warblers, flycatchers, and gamebirds are specialized ant-eaters.
- Adaptations like sticky tongues and strong claws help birds access ant colonies.
- Ants are nutritious for birds, providing protein, fats, and essential amino acids.
- Ant-specialist birds are drawn to disturbed habitats where ants thrive.
- Ant-eating requires strategies to overcome small size and defenses of ants.
- Ants serve as an important year-round food source for many species.
In summary, ants are a vital dietary component for many bird species spanning diverse families and feeding guilds. The abundance and nutrition of ants help support healthy bird populations across habitats.
Conclusion
Many birds across the world’s forests, grasslands, and backyard feeders enjoy the bounty of ants as a regular part of their diet. Species like woodpeckers, thrushes, warblers, and flycatchers have all evolved special skills and adaptations for seeking out and consuming these abundant insects. Ants provide birds with essential protein, healthy fats, and important micronutrients that may be hard to find elsewhere in nature. Though small in size, ants occur in huge numbers and remain available year-round, making them a stable source of nutrition. Birds employ incredible tactics like sticky tongues, ground scratching, and branch hanging to overcome ant defenses and access this nutritious and plentiful food. So next time you see a woodpecker drumming on a tree or a gamebird scouring the ground, they may very well be enjoying an ant feast!