Meet The World's Only Toxic Bird

By: NDTVNewsDesk

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The Hooded Pitohui is the world's only scientifically confirmed toxic bird from New Guinea.

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The bird carries potent neurotoxins (batrachotoxins) in its skin and feathers, acquired from its diet of poisonous beetles.

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It causes numbness or tingling upon contact and acting as a defense against predators.

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This striking, brightly coloured bird is known to locals as a "rubbish bird" and serves as a classic example of aposematism.

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Scientist Jack Dumbacher discovered the first-ever toxic bird in the late 1980s while doing fieldwork in New Guinea.

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When he handled the birds, he noticed that after touching his mouth or eyes, he felt tingling, numbness, and a burning sensation. 

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Its bright black and orange feathers alert predators that it is dangerous or unfit for consumption. 

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Batrachotoxins are also found in smaller amounts in other New Guinea birds, like the blue-capped ifrit.

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