Explore The Spooky Side of Birds This October: Toxic Terrors

Let’s have a Spooktacular October by uncovering some of the world’s spookiest birds. First up, birds that are poisonous! Yes, we’re talking about birds that could make you sick if you encountered them. But fear not, you won’t find these “toxic” birds in your home and you’d have to travel fairly far to encounter one in the wild; except for one, depending on the time of the year!

Poisonous Birds

You may have heard of the Colombian poison-dart frog, the skin of which has alkaloids called batrachotoxins, which are neurotoxins that have marked effects on heart muscles. But have you ever heard of the Hooded Pitohui (Pitohui dichrous), a bird primarily found in the rainforests of New Guinea? The Hooded Pitohui’s skin and feathers also have batrachotoxins, which can inflict numbness, cause burning sensations, or worse if they come into contact with skin wounds or ingested. New Guinea is home to other poisonous birds with varying levels of toxins on their skin and feathers, including the Variable Pitohui (Pitohui kirhocephalus) and Blue-capped Ifrita (Ifrita kowaldi). These birds’ super toxicity is thought to deter predators and offer protection from parasites. But how are they toxic in the first place? One study shows that neither poisonous frogs nor poisonous birds generate the toxins themselves but likely from their diet, especially from eating Melyrid beetles (Choresine), which have high batrachotoxins levels.

What could be dangerous about the common quail, also called the European quail (Coturnix coturnix)? Nothing, unless you dine on one during certain times of the year. This study shows that quail meat can be poisonous if the quail have eaten seeds of the hemlock plant, with one in four who consumed poisonous flesh becoming ill with coturnism, characterized by muscle soreness, and even kidney failure. It is seen in rural Mediterranean areas during autumn, which is the European quails’ migration period and hemlock seeds help fuel their journey. Reports of poisonous quail date back to biblical times.

Interestingly, the Carolina Parakeet, the only parrot within its range in the Eastern, Midwest, and Plains states of the United States (and, sadly, declared extinct in 1918), was thought to be poisonous. As mentioned in this article in Forbes, Carolina Parakeets liked to eat cocklebur, a plant especially poisonous to the liver. These parakeets could eat cocklebur with no ill effects, which made them a poisonous meal for predators.

Birds That Vomit

While not poisonous, these birds can make you feel a bit squeezy. That’s because of their strange defense mechanism when they feel threatened—they vomit. And the term to describe this is spot on…it’s called “defensive regurgitation.” Taking a cue from skunks, these birds’ quirk is an effective deterrent because no predator wants to be sprayed with a foul-smelling mess.

First up is the Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis), which, according to Cornell Lab of Ornithology, looks like a gull and is a heavyset, medium-sized seabird. Scare one of these birds or get too close to their nest and you might be sprayed with a vile-smelling stomach liquid, which they can vomit-launch several yards. You don’t have to travel to far-away exotic locations to encounter a Northen Fulmar. According to The Cornell Lab, while they live most of their lives in the open ocean, Northern Fulmars nest in colonies on cliffs scattered around the North Atlantic, North Pacific, and Arctic Oceans.

Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura) can also vomit when threatened. They bring up their partially digested food and aim it at a predator. The powerful combo of stench and acidity makes for a strong warning to predators to keep away.

Perhaps the most defenseless-looking vomiter is the Eurasian Roller (Coracias garrulus). If a predator tries to invade the nest, the chick will vomit what is described as a bright orange, foul-smelling liquid. Researchers in this study opened the nestbox of Eurasian Roller chicks and either spoke loudly to the nestlings, showed their faces to them, touched them,  or picked them up and gently shook them. All 43 chicks they studied vomited when grasped or moved, yet they did not vomit with the other stimuli. It was also noted that most of the young nestlings were still blind when they vomited while being grabbed or moved. (Talk about hands-off parenting!)

It might seem like a gross tactic, but vomiting serves as a last-ditch effort to ward off attackers or distract them long enough for the bird to escape. This strategy is particularly useful for species lacking physical defenses like claws or sharp beaks. Imagine how spooked an unsuspecting predator might be after thinking they’re after an easy meal only to discover it’s “Trick” rather than “Treat!”