Scientists have discovered two bird species whose feathers contain neurotoxins. In this respect informs Press office of the University of Copenhagen.
“On our last trip we were able to identify two new species of venomous birds. These birds carry a neurotoxin that they can store in their feathers,” says Knud Jonsson of the Danish Museum of Natural History.
The discovery was made in New Guinea. The studied birds are the royal whistler (Pachycephala schlegelii) and the red-headed whistler (Aleadryas rufinucha). Their feathers contain batracotoxin, a very potent poison also found in poison dart frogs. The frog’s venom is more concentrated and causes muscle spasms and cardiac arrest upon contact.
“The same type of avian toxin found in frogs is a neurotoxin that can cause sodium channels in skeletal muscle nerves to remain open, causing severe seizures and eventual death,” the scientists wrote.
At the same time, despite the low concentration, the venom can still serve a protective purpose. One of the scientists began to shed tears and symptoms of a runny nose appeared, especially while trying to collect hair for analysis in a closed room.
Like poison dart frogs, birds do not produce this toxin, but eat insects and absorb it. It does not work on them due to genetic adaptation that does not allow the sodium channels to remain open. At the same time, the corresponding mutations in frogs and birds are different because they are associated with different parts of the genome, proving that this trait developed independently.
Scientists were surprised by their discovery, as no new species of venomous bird had been discovered in over two decades.