Newly Discovered "Venomous" Bird

[BillsBirds]

Check this out...[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zj608WJ3qtE]YouTube[/ame]

 

[ShellyBorg]

This video does not exist.

 

[RockysMom]

yep does not exist

 

[SoCalWendy]

Whew I thought I was the only one.

 

[Betrisher]

Yeah, but the bird exists! It lives in New Guinea and if you search on YouTube for 'Poisonous bird', you'll see the video, which is very interesting. The venom found in the bird is similar to that found in the Arrow Poison Frogs of South America. Thanks for the original post, BillsBirds! It's an amazing point to consider!

 

[JerseyWendy]

Is this the video???

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zj6O8WJ3qtE]Discovery: First Scientifically Confirmed Poisonous Bird - YouTube[/ame]

 

[crimson]

wow, mother nature sure is incredible with all of her secrets

 

[MikeyTN]

Yea I've seen that before, interesting none the less!!! I'm just curious how they develop the toxins to begin with.

 

[Betrisher]

There are some really weird birds around when you think of it. Lots of them seem to support the notion of a shared ancestor with reptiles (and that would support the production of venom in a bird). What about the kiwi with its fur-like feathers and nostrils at the end of its beak? Or the emu with its double-shafted feathers and horny, reptilian feet? Or the cassowary with its unique feathers and bony casque on its head? Or the hoatzin, whose nestlings still have claws on the 'elbows' of their wings?

Nature is *wonderful* in her variety and beauty! I never get sick of studying her.

 

[BillsBirds]

I'm sorry that my link didn't work. Thanks for adding it Wendy! Yes, that's the one. Amazing, no?

 

[Abigal7]

Wow, Wendy and BillsBirds thank you for sharing this. Betrisher, since you bring up the cassowary I can not help but see dinosaur like appearance. Same with the emu and baby hoatzin.

 

[Betrisher]

One of the courses I did during my degree was the Evolution of the Vertebrates. It was *fascinating* to see the parallels among various animal classes, especially in their embryology! Many of the now-extinct dinosaurs had much more in common with today's birds than you'd expect and the existence of a creature like Archaeopteryx (the fossil bird that shows lots of reptilian features - such as a 'beak' lined with teeth, scaly skin bearing feathers and reptile-like claws) just increases the magic.

Baby birds certainly look like little reptiles to me! I read Darwin's 'The Voyage of the Beagle' when I was eleven and remember being astounded at the way he related the forms of the Galapagos finches to their niches. Recently, I read the autobiography of Sir David Attenborough and thought to myself that all people who love nature share something very special indeed.

 

[crimson]

One of the courses I did during my degree was the Evolution of the Vertebrates. It was *fascinating* to see the parallels among various animal classes, especially in their embryology! Many of the now-extinct dinosaurs had much more in common with today's birds than you'd expect and the existence of a creature like Archaeopteryx (the fossil bird that shows lots of reptilian features - such as a 'beak' lined with teeth, scaly skin bearing feathers and reptile-like claws) just increases the magic.

Baby birds certainly look like little reptiles to me! I read Darwin's 'The Voyage of the Beagle' when I was eleven and remember being astounded at the way he related the forms of the Galapagos finches to their niches. Recently, I read the autobiography of Sir David Attenborough and thought to myself that all people who love nature share something very special indeed.

Betrisher, your just brilliant!, such knowledge you possess,

I had heard of this before and thought how amazing if birds originated from reptiles!!!....very exciting

I did a quick search on the where birds derived from, here it is:
let me know what you think:22:

Origin of birds - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Betrisher]

Be-e-e-eth! I'm not brilliant! I've just been around for a long time. Oh, and I've got a weird memory. Certain things stick with me while others (usually involving money) just waft away. LOL!

Thanks for the link! Guess what I'll be doing for the next while? (ie. Reading it)

Y'know, back when I studied all that stuff, DNA had not long been isolated. I remember sitting in lectures and being told 'one day, DNA analysis will be able to prove and disprove a lot of the relationships we can only guess at'. And lo! It did! What *really* drives me mad is that I'm beginning to forget a lot of stuff I want to remember. Urk! I used to be able to recite the evolution of the vertebrates from Amphioxus up to Homo Sapiens. Can't do that any more. Snif! (I can still spell all the complicated names, though, so that's something...)

Interesting things to think about: evolution of the air sac (did it come from lungs or instead of lungs?); evolution of the avian jaw and bill; evolution of the cleidoic ('shelled') egg and evolution of the pentadactyl (five-fingered) limb, especially with regard to birds and flight. Birds are special: they're the only Class of animals that truly conquered the skies and made it their own. In fact, it's another interesting area of study: the evolution of flight in reptiles, birds and mammals. Did you know there are 'flying' lizards and snakes, for example?

All forms of Life are amazing! Not only that, but they're all interconnected in the most wondrous and elegant ways. I've spent my whole life being mesmerised by living things (ever since I caught my first ant at the age of three) and astounded by watching them live and grow. I feel *so* lucky to have been able to do that! And especially lucky to have wound up in this forum where everybody else feels the same way about birds as I do.

Sorry to write an essay. As you've probably noticed by now, I get all worked up over these things.

 

[crimson]

Be-e-e-eth! I'm not brilliant! I've just been around for a long time. Oh, and I've got a weird memory. Certain things stick with me while others (usually involving money) just waft away. LOL!

Thanks for the link! Guess what I'll be doing for the next while? (ie. Reading it)

Y'know, back when I studied all that stuff, DNA had not long been isolated. I remember sitting in lectures and being told 'one day, DNA analysis will be able to prove and disprove a lot of the relationships we can only guess at'. And lo! It did! What *really* drives me mad is that I'm beginning to forget a lot of stuff I want to remember. Urk! I used to be able to recite the evolution of the vertebrates from Amphioxus up to Homo Sapiens. Can't do that any more. Snif! (I can still spell all the complicated names, though, so that's something...)

Interesting things to think about: evolution of the air sac (did it come from lungs or instead of lungs?); evolution of the avian jaw and bill; evolution of the cleidoic ('shelled') egg and evolution of the pentadactyl (five-fingered) limb, especially with regard to birds and flight. Birds are special: they're the only Class of animals that truly conquered the skies and made it their own. In fact, it's another interesting area of study: the evolution of flight in reptiles, birds and mammals. Did you know there are 'flying' lizards and snakes, for example?

All forms of Life are amazing! Not only that, but they're all interconnected in the most wondrous and elegant ways. I've spent my whole life being mesmerised by living things (ever since I caught my first ant at the age of three) and astounded by watching them live and grow. I feel *so* lucky to have been able to do that! And especially lucky to have wound up in this forum where everybody else feels the same way about birds as I do.

Sorry to write an essay. As you've probably noticed by now, I get all worked up over these things.

no need to apologize about your 'essay' some of my posts are 'essays', lol
being 'brilliant' is a GOOD THING!, Trish, it's brilliant of you & Bill bring this type of awareness to the forum.....it adds a bit of spice to it.

you and I seem to be cut from the same cloth, I too am in 'awe' of mother nature and her wonders.I LOVE fossil formations, it amazes me how an imprint can come out so beautifully perfect after being formed for millions of years

right now we have plenty of caterpillars all over our roads, apparently I'm the only 'wing nut' that is avoiding them and swerving to get around them,to keep them safe lol. I will preserve any living thing at all costs....

this whole theory could explain why baby cockatiels look like pterodactyls.

 

[Mike17]

I gathered from a wikipedia entry that the "poisonous" bird species is that way from its diet, poisonous beetles. The toxins are concentrated in the bird's skin and feathers. Much the same with flamingoes- they are only pink from eating bacteria (cyanobacteria? can't remember, or is it algae?), the pink coloration comes from compounds in the food.

 

[MotherlodeParrot]

Great thread thanks for posting!