Poisonous Birds
Discovered in Papua New Guinea; Birds That Use Toxins May be More Common than We Imagine
Jan 8, 2007 Rosemary Drisdelle
Are there poisonous birds?
Are any birds poisonous? Surprisingly, a handful of poisonous birds have been identified in Papua New Guinea and research in the future may well reveal that numerous bird species use toxins in some way. The poisonous birds that have been documented so far include the Hooded Pitohui (Pitohui dichrous) , several other species of pitohui, and the Blue-capped Ifrita (Ifrita kowaldi) .
The Hooded Pitohui was the first poisonous bird to be discovered by science—but the native people of Papua New Guinea knew about it far sooner. They call it the “garbage bird” because of its unpleasant smell, and avoid eating it because of the bitter taste and a tendency to make people sick. The Hooded Pitohui has batrachotoxin (BTX) in its dander, and in its skin and feathers, a neurotoxin identical to that used by deadly poison frogs in Colombia, South America. Other pitohui species also have the toxin, but in lower concentrations.
The second poisonous bird genus discovered by scientists is the Ifrita; however, once again, scientists were not the first to encounter the nasty side of the bird. The name given to the Blue-capped Ifrita by local people, slek-yakt, means “bitter bird,” and the Kalam believe that one taste of the feathers can be fatal. The Blue-capped Ifrita lives in a different part of Papua New Guinea, but uses the same toxin as the pitohui.
What is the poison?
Batrachotoxin affects the electrical impulses in nerves and kills by stopping the heart. Jack Dumbacher, the scientist who discovered the toxic nature of the pitohui in 1989, experienced numbness in the mouth after sucking on a hand that had been injured by a Hooded Pitohui—clearly there was only a minute amount of batrachotoxin on his injured hand. Testing soon revealed, however, that birds in some areas have more toxin than others, with some being almost harmless while others are obnoxious to even touch.
Where does the poison come from?
It turns out that pitohuis, ifritas, and even poisonous frogs, don’t make the BTX themselves, but get it from beetles that they ingest. Chorisine beetles, tiny plant eaters, are thought to be the birds’ source of the toxin, but even the beetles probably just carry BTX, likely acquiring it from a plant that they eat. For all these species, having the toxin confers an advantage, making them unpalatable for predators and parasites alike.
Are there other poisonous birds?
Other bird species are known to smell terrible or taste very bad. It may turn out that these are poisonous birds as well—birds that are using batrachotoxin, or other toxins acquired from food sources, to repel creatures that threaten them.
Sources:
Milius, Susan. “Poison Source: Toxic Birds May Get Chemical from Beetle.” Science News Online 166(19) 2004
Tidwell, John. "The Intoxicating Birds of New Guinea." ZooGoer 30(2) 2001. nationalzoo.si.edu
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