"What's that bird up to?"

[Jay_Jay]

Just had a break and we sat in the park and there's this BLACKBIRD laying near a hedge with its wings flattened out on the ground and its mouth gaping, looking most un-birdlike. What's it doing? Sunbathing? Anyone know?

[Cetti]

Yes Jay_Jay, could be sunbathing or 'anting'. Either helps to get rid of the parasites that drive them mad during the hot weather.

Blackies, Thrushes and Jays tend to look for an ants nest if their uncomfortable with parasites. They then stir up the nest until the ants are angry ,lie down wings out in the dirt so the ants crawl all over them squirting Formic Acid, thus killing the bugs. They do seem to enjoy this as the look on their faces is one of pure ecstacy.

[Cetti]

Just remembered something. Last year during a very hot spell I watched a Song Thrush spread out in the middle of a field mouth wide opened, absolutely motionless for a couple of hours.It seems like total madness to us but I read somewhere that this extreme behaviour may help regulate the body temperature or another theory is that the vitamin D conditions the feathers.

[pappasmurf]

Are you sure it wasn't dead ?
Did you notice any vultures circling overhead ?

[heathfield]

Cetti's right, JJ. Watched our near-tame blackbird doing the same by the front door last week. There's a bit about it here

[Catso]

Probably just sunbathing. I keep hens and they do it a lot when it's really hot.

[SBell2406]

How funny...a blackbird did exactly the same thing on our office kitchen roof today! We all thought it was dead only to see it mirraculously resurrect itself 5 mins later.

[siggee56]

probably having a stroke