Cockatoo Eating Neurotoxic Berries  ◔_◔  ☠
Channel: zuditaka
Date: 2014-08-08

Looking at a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo nibbling berries of the White Cedar (Melia azedarach) trees growing around the estate. I know the berries are neurotoxic to humans, but Wikipedia says:

"Fruits are poisonous to humans if eaten in quantity. However, like those of the Yew tree, these toxins are not harmful to birds, who gorge themselves on the fruit, eventually reaching a "drunken" state. The toxins are neurotoxins and unidentified resins, found mainly in the fruits. Some birds are able to eat the fruit, spreading the seeds in their droppings."

So it looks as if the Cockatoo can stomach them, okay, after all. And the tree is "native to Indomalaya and Australasia"; so I suppose the Australian birds have eaten them--at least the local variety of the tree--for thousands of years.

Also shown in this video is some lovely footage of the Mt Morgan Silver Wattle (Acacia podalyriifolia) in full glorious golden bloom.

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