Ikigai Daily
WonderChemical defence fact1,773 of 1,961

Hooded pitohuis can carry batrachotoxin—also found in some poison frogs—in their skin and feathers, with variable levels thought to come from their diet.

The poisonous songbird

NatureBiologyEvolution

Why it matters

The idea in context

The hooded pitohui overturned the comfortable assumption that birds are safe to handle. Batrachotoxin can make its skin and feathers numbing or irritating, although toxicity varies across individuals and places. Evidence points toward food as the source, connecting beetle, bird and predator in a chemical chain whose missing links are still being traced.

Türkçe

Aynı kart, başka bir dilde.

Kapüşonlu pitohuiler, bazı zehirli kurbağalarda da bulunan batrakotoksini deri ve tüylerinde taşıyabilir; değişken miktarların besinden geldiği düşünülür.
Zehirli ötücü kuş

Kapüşonlu pitohui, kuşlara dokunmanın güvenli olduğu yönündeki rahat varsayımı sarstı. Batrakotoksin derisini ve tüylerini uyuşturucu ya da tahriş edici kılabilir; ancak zehirlilik bireyler ve bölgeler arasında değişir. Bulgular kaynağın besin olduğunu düşündürüyor; böceği, kuşu ve avcıyı eksik halkaları hâlâ araştırılan kimyasal bir zincirde buluşturuyor.

Source trail

Read beyond the card.

Background reading: Hooded pitohuiAttribution and context are revised when stronger evidence appears. Corrections are welcome through the editorial page.
Open in the iPhone appEditorial method

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