A Victoria crowned pigeon gets its name from its frilly feathers.


Poison Power If all these birds aren’t unusual enough, meet the pitohui. It’s poisonous. In fact, it’s one of the only toxic birds in the world. Tere’s something even weirder about this bird. It has the same kind of poison as dart frogs that live far away in South America. Scientists suspect the poison comes from


toxic beetles. Both the birds and the frogs eat these beetles. Te toxins then end up in the birds’ colorful feathers. Tis chemical defense may protect the birds. It may keep away lice and other parasites.


Paradise for Birds More than 700 other species of birds live on New Guinea, too. Te world’s largest pigeon lives here. Feathers rise from its head like a lacy crown. A bird that laughs lives here, too. So does a bird with whiskers like a cat’s. All over the island, they boldly squawk,


dance, and show off their colors. Teir wild ways and looks come from living in a special place. From its plentiful food to its lack of predators, New Guinea is a paradise for birds.


JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2013 9


WORDWISE


camouflage: colors and markings that animals use to hide by blending into their environments


competition: a relationship between living things in which they must compete for such basic needs as food and space


endemic: found only in one area


species: a category of living things that are similar to one another


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