Researchers discover birds with neurotoxin-laden feathers in New Guinea

[Still Waters]

An expedition into the jungle of New Guinea has resulted in the discovery of two new species of poisonous birds by researchers from the University of Copenhagen. Genetic changes in these bird species have allowed them to carry a powerful neurotoxin.

The poisonous birds inhabit one of Earth's most pristine rainforests, a place as exotic as no other in the world. Hearing the words poisonous and bird coupled will be an eye-opener for most. But poisonous birds actually exist. And now, more species have been discovered in New Guinea's jungles.

"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," says Knud Jønsson of the Natural History Museum of Denmark.

https://phys.org/news/2023-03-birds-neurotoxin-laden-feathers-guinea.html