Hooded pitohui facts for kids

The hooded pitohui is a fascinating songbird from New Guinea. It's easy to spot with its bright black and orange feathers. But this bird has a big secret: it's one of the very few known poisonous birds in the world!

Meet the Hooded Pitohui

The hooded pitohui is a medium-sized songbird that lives in the forests of New Guinea. Its feathers are a striking mix of black and a reddish-brown color, which helps it blend into its jungle home. This bird is related to two other poisonous birds: the variable pitohui and the brown pitohui.

A Bird with a Secret Weapon

What makes the hooded pitohui truly special is its unique defense mechanism. Its skin and feathers contain a powerful neurotoxin. A neurotoxin is a type of poison that affects the nervous system. If you touch the bird, this toxin can cause a tingly, numb feeling in your hands. This is a great way for the bird to protect itself from predators!

Where Does the Poison Come From?

The hooded pitohui doesn't make its own poison. Instead, it gets the toxin from its diet. The bird eats certain types of beetles, especially those from the Choresine group. These beetles are also thought to be the source of the deadly poisons found in Colombia's famous poison dart frogs. It's amazing how nature recycles these powerful chemicals!

Home and Conservation

The hooded pitohui is quite common and can be found all over New Guinea. Because there are so many of them, they are not considered an endangered species. The IUCN Red List of threatened species lists the hooded pitohui as 'Least Concern'. This means scientists are not worried about this bird disappearing anytime soon.

Images for kids

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  A hooded pitohui

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  The plumage of the hooded pitohui is dichromatic, meaning it has two distinct colors: black and rufous chestnut.

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  The hooded pitohui uses the same family of batrachotoxin compounds as the golden poison frog of Colombia.

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  Brown tree snakes are bird predators that have been shown to be vulnerable to the poisons found in hooded pitohui.

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  The preparation of study skins for museums led to the discovery of toxins in the skins of hooded pitohui.

See also

In Spanish: Pitohuí bicolor para niños