Toxic bird

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/toxic-bird

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What makes some birds poisonous instead of just pretty?They eat special beetles that contain a toxin, and the birds keep that toxin in their skin and feathers to warn predators.
2. Which birds in Papua New Guinea are known to be poisonous?The Pitohui and the Ifrita are the best-known examples. They carry a toxin called batrachotoxin from the beetles they eat.

Aposematic Signal: A warning coloration or pattern that signals to predators that an animal is dangerous or unpalatable.
Neurotoxin: A poison that acts on the nervous system, disrupting nerve function.
Endemic Species: A species that is native and unique to a defined geographic area, such as an island.