Did you know that the聽pitohui ("pit-oo-eey,") bird of New Guinea聽is the only bird known to contain a toxin? The toxin is not just any old toxin, it is batrachotoxin, which previously has been found only in the skin of some South American 鈥減oison dart frogs.鈥澛犅燭hat鈥檚 the stuff 聽applied to the tips of arrows to render them more deadly.聽聽The discovery of the poison in the bird was made back in 1989 when ornithologist Jack Dumbacher caught one of these birds in a net in New Guinea.聽聽When he inadvertently touched his lips after handling the bird, Jack noted that his tongue and lips went numb.聽聽This spurred a chemical investigation which revealed the presence of batrachotoxin in the bird鈥檚 feathers.聽聽But how did it get there?聽聽Recent investigations suggest that the birds, or indeed the frogs, do not synthesize the poison.聽聽They get it from their food supply.聽聽Specifically from a species of beetle they dine on.聽聽Melyrid beetles seem to be the source of the toxin.聽聽There are several species of pitohui, with the most poisonous one being the 鈥淗ooded Pitohui.鈥澛犅燜eeding just a few milligrams of its skin to a mouse will kill it in a few minutes.聽聽You can recognize the 鈥淗ooded鈥� guy by its coloration; its plumage is a brilliant red and black.聽聽The less poisonous birds are more brown coloured.聽聽Maybe the intense colour serves as a warning to predators to leave the bird alone.聽聽Anyway, the moral of the story is that if you are wandering through the forests of New Guinea, and you come upon a beautiful red and black pitohui bird, just enjoy its vocal talents from a distance.聽聽Do not attempt to handle it.聽聽This bird is better off in the bush than in the hand
