First Scientifically Confirmed Poisonous Birds

Posted by on April 25th, 2011

This is from last year, so it is not new information or breaking news, but I am just hearing about this and it is fantastic. There are poisonous birds that are flying around on this planet. The Hooded Pitohui (Pitohui dichrous), Variable Pitohui (Pitohui kirhocephalus), and Brown Pitohiu (Pitohui ferrugineus) birds from New Guinea have a neurotoxin in their skin and feathers which causes numbness and tingling when handled. This neurotoxin is identical to the toxin from poison dart frogs and in high enough doses COULD KILL YOU.

[YouTube]
[Neatorama]
[Wikipedia]

2 Responses to “First Scientifically Confirmed Poisonous Birds”

  1. Anonymous Says:
    April 27th, 2011 at 7:27 am

    I guess I should stop licking birds.

  2. Delia Lavigne Says:
    April 29th, 2011 at 4:25 am

    Well, that’s definitely weird…