# Poisonous Birds

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poisonous-birds/263294>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 6, 2004, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poisonous-birds/263294 "2004-09-06T03:33:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![rippingtons\_fan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rippingtons_fan/32/11767_2.png) [@rippingtons\_fan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rippingtons_fan)\
**Post date:** [September 6, 2004, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poisonous-birds/263294/1 "2004-09-06T03:33:54Z")

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I heard that the first poisonous birds had been discovered (for the western world anyway) in Papua New Guinea a couple of years ago.  
They were supposed to have black feathers and yellow feathers and the poison was said to exude from the skin around the shaft of the feather.  
Has anyone else heard of this?

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**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\
**Post date:** [September 6, 2004, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poisonous-birds/263294/2 "2004-09-06T03:46:07Z")

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Yup. The birds are called [Pitohuis](http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Publications/ZooGoer/2001/2/intoxnewguineabirds.cfm), and they are the subject of quite a bit of research.

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**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\
**Post date:** [September 6, 2004, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poisonous-birds/263294/3 "2004-09-06T03:52:29Z")

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[This link](http://www.calacademy.org/science_now/archive/academy_research/jack_dumbacher.html) includes some photos of the birds.

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**Author:** ![Darwins\_Finch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darwins_finch/32/20304_2.png) [@Darwins\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darwins_Finch)\
**Post date:** [September 6, 2004, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poisonous-birds/263294/4 "2004-09-06T03:57:14Z")

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Apparently, there’s also the [Blue-Capped Ifrita (_Ifrita kowaldi_)](http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=27162&rendertype=abstract), also from New Guinea.

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**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\
**Post date:** [September 6, 2004, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poisonous-birds/263294/5 "2004-09-06T04:07:36Z")

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> [@Colibri](#):
>
> Yup. The birds are called [Pitohuis](http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Publications/ZooGoer/2001/2/intoxnewguineabirds.cfm), and they are the subject of quite a bit of research.

What a fascinating article! Thanks!