7 Poisonous Birds You Should Know About - Page 3 of 9

Hooded Pitohui

Preferring rainforests of New Guinea, the Hooded pitohui is a small, stocky bird that is renowned for its toxicity. It is a member of the Oriole family. An adult is tawny-colored overall with black head, tail and wings.

It is one of the species of bird known to contain batrachotoxin, a highly poisonous substance found in some frogs. According to researchers, this small bird gets its toxins from its main meal, choresine beetles. After consuming the meal, the toxins travel from their stomachs to their feathers; with the poison being in higher concentrations around their legs, belly and breasts.