Wiktionary
n. The practice, of some birds, of rubbing live ants into the feathers as a means of controlling parasites
Wikipedia
Anting is a town in Jiading District, Shanghai, bordering Kunshan, Jiangsu to the west. It has 52,800 inhabitants and, after the July 2009 merger of Huangdu , an area of .
Anting is a self-anointing behavior during which birds rub insects, usually ants, on their feathers and skin. The bird may pick up the insects in their bill and rub them on the body, or the bird may lie in an area of high density of the insects and perform dust bathing-like movements. The insects secrete liquids containing chemicals such as formic acid, which can act as an insecticide, miticide, fungicide, or bactericide. Alternatively, anting could make the insects edible by removing the distasteful acid, or, possibly supplement the bird's own preen oil. Instead of ants, birds can also use millipedes. More than 200 species of bird are known to ant. In addition, other animals such as squirrels and pangolins may exhibit anting-type behavior. Stoats are known to roll around in moss in a similar way.
Usage examples of "anting".
On the streets of Antung, of Feng-Wang-Chang, or of any other Manchurian city, the following is a familiar scene: One is hurrying home through the dark of the unlighted streets when he comes upon a paper lantern resting on the ground.
They will examine the baggage at Antung and the policeman must see your papers.