{"id":28038,"date":"2023-05-16T10:34:44","date_gmt":"2023-05-16T08:34:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/?p=76892"},"modified":"2023-05-16T11:37:04","modified_gmt":"2023-05-16T09:37:04","slug":"two-new-poisonous-birds-discovered","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/two-new-poisonous-birds-discovered\/","title":{"rendered":"Two new poisonous birds discovered"},"content":{"rendered":"

Toxins in feathers from Papua New Guinea jungle birds reveal link to poison dart frogs <\/p>

By Kenny Taylor\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 16 May 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

The world list of poisonous birds is tiny. Now two more species have boosted that tally \u2013 the first additions for more than 20 years.<\/p>\n

The discovery was made thanks to arduous fieldwork in the jungles of Papua New Guinea by Kasun Bodawatta and Knud J\u00f8nsson from the University of Copenhagen<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The regent whistler and the rufous-naped bellbird are distinctively plumaged species, whose colours sing out in the half-light of their rainforest home.<\/p>\n

Feathers collected from them were key to unlocking their poisonous secret through later laboratory analysis in Denmark.<\/p>\n

Both birds contain Batrachotoxin (BTX) in their feathers and bodies. This is a potent nerve poison, best known from the skin of \u2018poison dart\u2019 frogs in Central and South America.<\/p>\n

\""Regent\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Regent whistler (Pachycephala schlegelii) \u00a9\u00a0Special Collections of the University of Amsterdam, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

High concentrations of BTX, such as in a few of those frogs, can cause violent muscle spasms, heart failure and rapid death in humans.<\/p>\n

According to Bodawatta, the birds\u2019 toxins are the same type as that found in frogs but are in much lower concentrations.<\/p>\n

Both the whistler and the bellbird have genetic mutations that function in similar \u2013 but not identical \u2013 ways to those in frogs, to protect them from the poison that may come from their food.<\/p>\n

More related content:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

10 poisonous animals<\/a><\/p>\n

Are there any poisonous birds?<\/a><\/p>\n

Venomous vs poisonous: what\u2019s the difference?<\/a><\/p>\n

10 of the world\u2019s most poisonous plants<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p><\/div> <\/section>

A crucial part of this resistance occurs at the micro level of cell membranes, where sodium affects the transmission of nerve impulses.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn order to adapt to this Batrachotoxin lifestyle, you need some sort of adaptation in these sodium channels,\u201d says Bodawatta.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a classic case of convergent evolution, where both the birds and the frogs have independently developed a similar way of coping with their internal toxins.<\/p>\n

For the birds, it\u2019s not yet known whether the poison deters predators or defends against skin parasites.<\/p>\n

The downside was that Bodawatta suffered ill effects from handling the birds during the study: \u201cKnud thought I was sad and having a rough time on the trip when they found me with a runny nose and tears in my eyes. It\u2019s a bit like cutting onions, but with a nerve agent, I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n

Main image: <\/em>Molecular Ecology<\/a> reveals the rufous-naped bellbird is resistant to Batrachtoxin. \u00a9 Education Images\/Universal Images Group\/Getty<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n

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