G’day all
When I was a kid (the Beatles were big at the time) it was ‘common knowledge’ that Flame Robins migrated across Bass Straight from Tasmania to winter in Victoria. It still says this in at least some field guides. The relevant HANZAB volume published in 2002 says it is not certain that they do.
What do we know today? No anecdotes of Flame Robins flying north into dune scrub in autumn along coastal Victoria please. Do we have any solid proof? Banding evidence would be required I think.
While I’m exploring possible myths I also recall reading (when I was a kid) that Bronzewing Pigeons accumulated some poison in their bodies (bones specifically I think) and would kill any dogs that ate them.
Cany anyone offer solid evidence of this and propose the mechanism? The Pitohui of New Guinea are regarded as the only poisonous birds but it possibly ain’t so. Pitohuis also probably get their poison second hand via their diet. It was only in 1989 that they were found to be poisonous so the Bronzewing would take precedence.
Any other Australian bird myths to bust or confirm?
Cheers Steve Clark Hamilton, VIc ===============================
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I was told by a local in PNG that the Pitohui get their poison form the similarly coloured beetles which they eat. I was shown two species of beetle but tested neither of them on my tongue. Alan
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G’day Steve
Dom Serventy, Birds of Western Australia, p. 239, “Bronzewing pigeons, both this species and the next, are given to feeding on the seeds of the box-poison plant Gastrolobium bilobum, and as a result their entrails and bones, but not the flesh, are poisonous to dogs and cats. After eating such pigeons, dogs and cats are apt to have fits, become mad, bite at anyone within reach, and finally die in convulsions.”
From memory they also gain this poison from York Road poison Gastrolobium. Also from memory this is where the poison 1080 was learnt about. It is presumably made synthetically now. Native consumers apparently have varying degrees of immunity to this poison.
Cheers
Mike =================== Michael Tarburton tarburton.m@optusnet.com.au ===================
While I’m exploring possible myths I also recall reading (when I was a kid) that Bronzewing Pigeons accumulated some poison in their bodies (bones specifically I think) and would kill any dogs that ate them.
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G’day Sonja and Anthea
Thanks for your replies.
I’m aware of the Gastrolobium poison bush in WA. Anthea has turned up this reference
http://www.publish.csiro.au/?act=view_file&file_id=MU942057.pdf
which is good evidence that the pigeons accumulate poison from the seeds of Gastrolobium bilobum in Western Australia.
Further questions:
Has anyone ever extracted poison from a Bronzewing and analysed it? What is the situation in other parts of the Bronzewings’ range? Why are Pitohuis claimed to be the first known poisonous birds? This article mentions others (including Bronzewings):
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Publications/ZooGoer/2001/2/intoxnewguineabirds.cfm
It seems that others were known or suspected earlier but the chemical in Pitohui poison was the first to be identified.
There appears to be no conclusive evidence that Flame Robins migrate across Bass Strait unless Anthea can track down the unpublished research of Balmford and Dennett. I wouldn’t be at all suprised if they do cross the Strait but it would be nice to have evidence.
Cheers Steve ===============================
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