I think I read somewhere about a certain bird that is poisinous. I can’t relocate the reference.
Could this be true?
Do you mean venemous, or do you mean that you will get sick if you eat it?
Desmond Morris’ Animalwatching makes no reference to poisonous birds, so I’d say there aren’t any. He does say that cassowaries are the only birds you could describe as armored.
Indeed there is a poisonous bird! The pitohui of New Zealand has an alkaloid subastance on its feathers and skin which is similar to the poison arrow frog. Not reported until 1992 (which explains why I never read about them in Ranger Rick as a youth), the locals call it the “rubbish bird” or “garbage bird” based on its foul taste. Oddly enough, they never thought of it as poisonous and that status wasn’t given to it until some scientist noticed he got a rash from handling the feathers of the bird. Keep in mind that the poison is used as a defense, not as an attck mechanism. Getting the poison in your mouth will give you a nasty burning feeling and some inflammation, but it won’t kill you unless yo make a point of trying to die from pitohui overdose. If so, you’d be the first as no known fatalities have been caused by pitohui poisoning.
Well maybe if I could spell posionous my search would’ve worked. But thanks for the quick response Jophiel.
Here is a link I found
Pitohui - A-Z Science - Homework Help - Discovery Channel School
Address:
http://school.discovery.com/homeworkhelp/worldbook/atozscience/p/432630.html
Is it possible, after knowing that this bird is foul (fowl?) tasting, to see the word “pitohui” and not hear it in your head being pronounced as, “patooey” (as in the spitting sound)? Now, tell me that this is the correct etemology of the word and my day will be complete.
Joph, you’re just so glad you beat Wood Thrush to answering this one, aren’t ya?