When you think of birds, “toxic” is rarely the first word that comes to mind. Yet, the Hooded Pitohui (Pitohui dichrous) from New Guinea challenges that notion entirely. This striking black-and-orange ...

In the summer of 1989, Jack Dumbacher was a fresh-faced ornithologist-in-training on his maiden expedition to the lush rainforests of Papua New Guinea. One sticky afternoon, he noticed an unusual bird ...

Scientists once believed birds relied only on flight, talons and socialization for survival. But this one proves otherwise: it uses chemistry. For most of modern biology, there was a widely accepted ...

New Guinea is home to some of the world’s most toxic birds. Why they contain poison, and how they withstand it is still a source of scientific mystery. The variable pitohui, a poisonous bird, captured ...