For a long time, birds were believed to be the only animals that did not produce any venom. This misconception was shattered in 1992 with the discovery of the Hooded Pitohui in New Guinea by Professor John P. Dumbacher, who found that the bird’s feathers made him numb whenever he touched them. On asking the locals, he learned it was colloquially called a ‘rubbish bird’ by them whose flesh could not be consumed due to its poisonous nature.
Over the years, several more birds have been discovered to have been poisonous. These birds use their venom defensively to protect themselves from predators but are seemingly incapable of injecting venom as a form of offense. They also don’t naturally produce toxins but acquire them through their diet.
List of Notable Poisonous Birds
Hooded Pitohui
The first bird to be recorded as toxic, the Hooded Pitohui possesses a potent neurotoxin called homobatrachotoxin – a derivative of the same batrachotoxin found in the skin of the Colombian Golden Poison Frog. Its venom is located in its feathers, skin, and internal organs, though scientists have noted that most of these toxins are found in the bird’s skin and feathers.
Blue-capped Ifrit
Another New Guinea resident, whose ancestry can be traced back to the Oligocene era, the Blue-capped Ifrit is an insectivorous bird secreting batrachotoxins on its breast, stomach area, and leg feathers. It uses this toxin to ward off predators, which explains how little it has needed to evolve over the years, as it did not need further protective measures.
European Quail
The European or Common Quail is a rather interesting example. It only displays toxicity during some parts of the year, i.e., when they migrate during autumn. Ornithologists have suggested that the bird must ingest certain plants available during this time that give them their toxicity. However, the type of plant is yet to be identified.
Rufous Shrikethrush
A songbird endemic to Australia, the Rufous Shrikethrush secretes venom on its feathers and skin. Its venom is a form of batrachotoxin used by poison dart frogs native to South America.
Northern Variable Pitohui
Not only does this pitohui have the same type of venom as its distant cousin, the Hooded Pitohui, but it also appears similar to it in appearance. This mimicry, named Müllerian mimicry after the man who proposed the theory, German naturalist Fritz Müller, further discourages predation of the Northern Variable Pitohui.
Spur-winged Goose
The Spur-winged Goose is the largest species of goose on Earth, and as its name indicates, it has spur-like spikes on its wings that are coated with cantharidin, the same type of venom produced by blister beetles, which makes up a large portion of this goose’s diet. This toxicity persists even after the goose dies.
Eurasian Hoopoe
The Eurasian Hoopoe can secrete a liquid with a pungent odor from its preening glands, whose main constituent is dimethyl sulfide. It mostly coats its nest with this liquid to protect its eggs from predation.
Brush Bronzewing Pigeon
A ground-dwelling bird from Australia, the Brush Bronzewing Pigeon developed its toxicity from feeding on the seeds of Gastrolobium plants with a high fluorine concentration. Its toxic nature may have indirectly led to the deaths of several Australian native mammals that preyed on it.
Red Warbler
A New World passerine bird living in Mexico, the Red Warbler has neurotoxic alkaloids in its flesh, making it unpalatable to most predators.
Other Birds Reported To Be Poisonous
The Ruffed Grouse is also known to feed on toxic plants during the winter, leading to the people that feed on its meat during this time to become sick. Other pitohuis, shrikethrushes, and bronzewing pigeons may potentially be venomous, but this depends heavily on their diets.
Recent Discoveries
In 2023, two new poisonous birds – the Regent Whistler and the Rufous-naped Bellbird – were identified for the first time. These birds possess batrachotoxin like several others on this list, though the level of potency of their venom is yet to be ascertained.
