Birds with The World’s Best Defense Systems

1. Ferruginous Pygmy Owl
Though owls are usually known to prey on mice and other rodents, they also turned out to fellow hunting owls and the smallest are usually afraid of owls, when they see an owl during the day (when the owls tend to be less willing to make a surprise attack), they scramble to bother to push it away. This behavior is known as “mobbing”.

Although mobbing is usually only annoying owl, but when the birds are performing mobbing is bigger and stronger. This owl is a skilled bird hunter, taking prey up to twice the size of their own, and therefore they are feared by all other small birds in their territory. Of course this is very dangerous for the smaller species such as Ferruginous Pygmy Owl.

To protect yourself from mobbing, this bird has two spots on the back of his head that resembles the eye. This is enough to deter most small birds, because they typically owl will not attack the way they look. If you face a bigger bird, surrender may be better.

2. Hoatzin Chick
Found in the rainforests of South America, hoatzin once believed to be a “living fossil”. This is reflected in many ways, for example, he ate the leaves of trees, a very strange diet for a bird and fermentation using bacteria to digest food, like cows. Because of this, the hoatzin has a very pungent smell like manure. But the terrible odor hoatzin is no reason why he was included in this list.

Hoatzin usually build their nests on tree branches that hang over the water. When disturbed or threatened by a predator, the hoatzin children jump into the water to escape. They are the swimmers and divers who are very good and when the danger has passed, they can climb trees and go back to the nest.

To do this, the child hoatzin has 2 claws on each wing, reminiscent of those of Archaeopteryx and other feathered, rather bird-like dinosaurs. Only the young hoatzin have claws, they disappear and can avoid predators by flying. Hoatzin has become has become the object of debate among scientists since its discovery in 1776.
 
3. Potoo
Often found in Mexico, Central and South America, these birds are nocturnal predators that strange also known as “Ghost Bird”, because of their remarkable camouflage. Potoo eat insects, small flying animals such as bats and small birds. Potoo during the day and remained perched in the trees actually move and mimic a tree stump as the stump of a dead or broken. Its fur resembles the bark and the eyelids have a loophole that allowed him to see even when blindfolded.

Potoo usually will keep moving even when approached by another animal (or human) and they are only fly when they feel that they have been known to disguise. Camouflage is so good, however, they are almost never found and they have almost no predators. It also makes it very difficult for us Potoo observed.
At night Potoo only be found as his eyes reflect the light, shining like the eyes of cats and owls.

5. African White Masked Owl
This little owl little known to the public after recently when a Japanese TV show featuring an extraordinary method of defense. If approached by an enemy of this little bird will hiss to make himself look bigger and fiercer, this is a defensive method common among owls and seems to be enough to scare most enemies.

However, when dealing with enemies, bigger more powerful, masked owls do not try to intimidate it, but flatten the hair and eyes squinting so almost invisible to predators. By keeping these birds move to do something to resemble a tree stump or a tree branch, as Potoo. Therefore escape the attention of larger predators. There is a video of a famous Japanese TV show featuring African White Masked Owl (captive specimens) reacted to two different predators, barn Owl and Verreaux’s eagle Owl strong (the largest African owl).

5. Hooded Pitohui
Hooded Pitohui found in New Guinea and their defense against predators is a simple but menkjubkan, they are toxic. Pitohui take some kind of beetle that contain a powerful neurotoxin and contains an alkaloid known as batrachotoxin (toxins were also found in the skin of poison dart frogs of South America).

By eating beetles, birds become poisoned, their toxins present in their fur and skin. They are really known by locals as the “garbage bird”, because of their toxicity makes them unlikely to be eaten unless they removed the skin and fur.

Hooded Pitohuis touching can cause numbness and tingling, burning skin and sneezing (as reported by the scientists who handle the creature), whereas they might be consuming far more dangerous. To warn of the nature of its toxicity, this bird has a bright orange color and black color that allows would-be predators to recognize it.

Hooded Pitohuis believed that the toxin can rub the eggs and chicks to protect them from predators.