Do you think birds are such cute chirping creatures? You just haven't encountered the most dangerous birds on the planet! They can lock you in the house, maim you, poison you, or even stab you to death! All this, of course, not out of malice, but within the framework of the innate instinct of self-preservation. It's just survival of the fittest. So can a bird really be more dangerous than a person? We'll find out soon.
Pitohu
For centuries, Papua New Guineans have tried to stay away from this bird. Although the pitohu looks and sings like a real bird of paradise, it is actually a real angel of death. The Pitohu, or blackbird flycatcher as it is also called, is the only poisonous bird on the planet.
With its bright natural color, it subtly hints to predators that it is better not to use it as a meal.The bird's skin and feathers contain dangerous levels of neurotoxic alkaloids similar to those produced by the poison dart frog. The venom is believed to be a defense against parasites or predators, and the pitohu's bright coloring should alert predators to this.
Interestingly, the flycatcher does not produce the toxin on its own, but receives it from Choresine pulchra beetles, which are included in the bird’s diet. The beetles produce a powerful toxin that permeates the pitohu's body. You can't cuddle a bird like that anymore.
Shoebill
Shoebill is a large water bird. It is unmistakable thanks to its unique “shoe-shaped” beak, which gives it an almost prehistoric appearance, reminiscent of the origin of birds from dinosaurs. The bird is found in nine countries in Africa and has a large range, although it is found in small local populations concentrated around swamps and wetlands. Shoebill is a fairly rare bird: there are less than 10,000 individuals in the world. Most birds have eyes on the sides of their heads. But the shoebill is special in this sense; it has a non-standard skull structure - the eyes are placed slightly forward. Thanks to this, the shoebill sees the world in three dimensions.The height of an adult individual is about 1.2 m, the wingspan reaches 2.3 m. Moreover, despite the impressive growth, the shoebill weighs mainly up to 7 kg. The huge beak (about 23 cm long and 10 cm wide) allows the shoebill to hunt fish very deftly. These creatures mainly feed on frogs, fish, and small reptiles. In addition, the shoebill is capable of feasting on larger victims: baby crocodiles sometimes end up in the mouth of a fairy-tale bird.
Red-tailed buzzard
Capable of injuring a person. The red-tailed hawk is one of the largest hawks in North America, as well as one of the most recognizable. It is often seen in farmland, highway sides, parks, on its native prairies, and on the edges of its small forested habitats. The weight of the red-tailed buzzard varies from 1.3 to 1.8 kilograms, and the wingspan is approximately one and a half meters. Their nests are usually found in the treetops of open areas and are fiercely defended by buzzards. When a nest is built in an area frequented by humans, the hawk may perceive humans as a threat and attempt to drive them away from its territory.
The attacks basically involve the buzzard swooping down quickly and trying to grab you with its massive talons. In Connecticut in 2010, during the buzzard nesting season, several people were attacked by a territorial individual. Several victims were hit in the head and injured in the upper body, and physical education classes had to be moved from the open air to the school gym.
Seagull
Seagulls have a capricious and cocky character. They will go to great lengths to enjoy a delicious meal. There are a large number of species of seagulls in nature, but they all have a complex character in common. The lifestyle of such animals is diurnal. Throughout almost the entire day they look for food. Such birds eat a lot and often, in order to get food for themselves, they have to show miracles of their intelligence. For example, to get a mollusk out of its durable shell, a seagull takes it in its beak and flies up to a decent height, and then throws it onto the rocks. As a result, the shell cracks and the mollusk ends up in the bird's stomach.
You can often see such animals in search of food on city streets. People don’t scare them at all, but on the contrary, they try to beg them for a piece of bread or a fish. Seagulls are distinguished by their amazing ability to quickly adapt to any environment. With the first rays of the sun, these animals already set off in search of food; they tirelessly circle over bodies of water and only with the onset of darkness return to the safe place they are looking for in advance.
Martial Eagle
The martial eagle is a very large bird. The total length can range from 78 to 96 cm, with an average of about 85.5 cm. The wingspan of martial eagles can vary from 188 to 260 cm. Thus, this bird ranks fourth in terms of wingspan among existing eagles. It was not for nothing that our hero was called a fighter; the guy knows a lot about tactics. The main weapon of a predator is its claws. Before the attack, the bird soars in the heights for a long time. Having noticed a lone victim, the bird quickly attacks. Paws forward, body back, and lo and behold, the prey is already impaled on 5-centimeter claw-daggers.The economic bird chooses small and medium-sized terrestrial mammals and birds (Anseriformes, Galliformes, etc.) as prey, hunts young impalas, hyraxes, duikers, and can feast on snakes and lizards. African farmers have become disliked by martial eagles for their “raids”, after which the birds carry away dogs, goats and sheep.
Martial eagles are distinguished by extremely acute vision (3.0-3.6 times superior to humans in this indicator). Thanks to this, they can detect potential prey at a distance of 5 to 6 km.
White Owl
The snowy owl is a large white bird immortalized in the Harry Potter film series. It is the northernmost bird of prey on the planet. Snowy owls breed on the tundra near the Arctic Circle, and are able to withstand temperatures down to -50°C. The height of owls reaches approximately 45 centimeters, and their wingspan is more than 1.20 meters. Their weight can exceed 2.7 kilograms. When walking through the Arctic tundra, you need to carefully look at your feet and under no circumstances approach the piles of unmelted snow located on areas of land with vegetation cover.You can get quite close to the snowy owl's nesting site without the bird reacting in any way. But as soon as the white owl notices the threat, the “mountain of snow” comes to life and rushes to attack in order to drive away the intruder of its domain. If the threat is a human, owls may target the face and head with their razor-sharp talons. A striking owl can cause serious injuries, especially to the eyes. If attacked, you should bend down, bury your face and quickly move away.
Bearded Man
The bearded vulture could easily top the list of the most dangerous birds, but it is only dangerous by chance. Let us explain using the example of an ancient legend.
The unfortunate death of the ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus is legendary. The oracle predicted his death from a fallen object, so the Greek tried to spend more time in open spaces. As it turned out, in vain. One day, out of the blue, a turtle fell from the clear blue sky and hit him on the head, killing him on the spot. Who is the most likely culprit of this strange crime? Bearded man.
Bone marrow makes up 90% of a bird's diet, but bones are difficult to break. So she flies up into the air and then drops bones and other hard food from a great height to break up her prey. It is known that this method is also used on turtles... In the case of the unlucky Aeschylus, it is believed that the bearded man mistook his shiny bald head for a stone on which he could break his lunch.
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