Birds from the species regent whistler, Pachycephala schlegelii, and the rufous-naped bellbird, Aleadryas rufinucha, are called “Birds of Death” because touching them can kill you immediately. These species belong to a family with a wide distribution across the Indo-Pacific region.
Danish researchers have discovered two new species of birds that are nothing like your regular birds that you feed and at times pet. These two species are dangerous and deadly thanks to genetic evolution as they hide powerful neurotoxins in their feathers.
Found in the jungle of New Guinea, these birds have developed the ability to consume toxic food and turn that into a poison of their own. Researchers found that not only do they tolerate these powerful nerve agents but also store them in their feathers, making them unique in more ways than one.
“We managed to identify two new species of poisonous birds on our most recent trip. These birds contain a neurotoxin that they can both tolerate and store in their feathers,” Knud J¸nsson of the Natural History Museum of Denmark, said in a statement.
The birds are from the species regent whistler, Pachycephala schlegelii, a species that belongs to a family with a wide distribution across the Indo-Pacific region, and the rufous-naped bellbird, Aleadryas rufinucha.
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