Noxious folio (SciiFii)

The noxious folio (Dendropsittaca venenata), also known as the noxious parrot, the noxious parakeet, the poison parrot, the poison parakeet, the pitohui parrot, the pitohui parakeet, the American pitohui, and simply the folio, is a species of parrot that originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced throughout the rainforests, wetlands, forests, and open woodlands across both North America and South America to help boost biodiversity. The closest living relative of the noxious folio is the monk parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus). The noxious folio is a rather average-sized parrot that usually grows to be about 35 centimeters (13 inches) in length. The noxious folio is mostly herbivorous and primarily feeds on many kinds of leaves, pine needles, seeds, nuts, and fruits, but it can also feed on several beetle species, primarily those of the genus Choresine (family Melyridae), which contain the toxin and have been found in the stomachs of noxious folios. Being a flying animal, the noxious folio has no problem accessing the tops of the trees, with the succulent plant's new growth. The noxious folio's diet is however quite lacking in energy, and since the bird must compensate between being able to fly and developing a large gut to ferment its food, it will spend a considerable amount of time sleeping, being far less active than its relatives. The noxious folio has an enlarged crop on its breast that contains fermenting bacteria to aid in digesting the leaves and other vegetation it feeds on. However, the most remarkable adaptation of the noxious folio among parrots is its ability to absorb and store the toxins from the Choresine beetles it feeds on, similarly to the poisonous pitohuis, including the hooded pitohui (Pitohui dichrous), of New Guinea, and implement those toxins into their soft tissue, even if it only feeds on a few of the beetlee. This makes the noxious folio extremely toxic to eat from the would-be predators, and it has bright warning colors on its plumage to discourage any predator from attacking it. Even the newly hatched chicks have bright warning colors on their otherwise downy coats. Due to this, the noxious folio can spend a long time just selecting the freshest leaves or sleeping throughout the day, not having to worry about wasting energy fleeing from predators. The levels of toxins that the bird stores would kill most other animals. The bird distributes the toxins in its body evenly. The noxious folio's threat pose often consists of its back turning towards the threat and with the wings and tail feathers fanned out to display the warning colors. This is so efficient that the bird shows almost no fear of predators. The noxious folio is less social than its relatives, it tends to live in pairs, and the noxious folios will defend their patch from other pairs, especially during the breeding seasons. Like monk parakeets, the noxious folio builds its own nest instead of nesting in tree cavities. The noxious folio will lay a single egg or two once a year, coinciding with the spring or wet seasons, depending on locality. The young grows very slowly, and will leave the nest about four months. The noxious folios living in the temperate regions undertake migrations during the fall to overwinter in areas were trees never loss their leaves. In preparation for their journey, they switch to the diet of seeds and fruits a few weeks prior in order to gain the extra energy and fat needed to survive the trip. The migrating noxious folio only spends the winter months in the tropics and subtropics, returning to the temperate areas to breed when spring arrives. The average lifespan of the noxious folio is around 50 years, however, there are reports of noxious folios living past 50, with some even living around 60 and 70 years. The conservation status of the noxious folio is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts, the noxious folio's wide range and its tolerance to many of the human activities.
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii