Hot Birds!
According to this article, "the seeds of wild peppers are . . . dispersed almost exclusively by birds." That’s because the pain receptor cells in birds are largely insensitive to capsaicin, the compound that accounts for spicy hot chiles. In fact, birds will readily consume foods with up to 20,000 ppm of capsaicin, while mammals will avoid foods containing as little as 100-1,000 ppm.
posted by John L. Trapp at
7/13/2006 02:51:00 PM
3 Comments:
I've seen Green Jays and Mockingbirds sit on one of those chilipiquin plants in the Rio Grande Valley and swallow one after another of those super hot little chilis. Amazing.
(You can keep squirrels off your bird seed by smashing hot pepper over the seeds.)
Good post. Thanks.
Incredible! Thanks for the tip about squirrel-proofing your bird seed.
Since birds are pepper-proof, it raises the possibility of dinosaurs enjoying chilies. But; how old is the pepper family, anyhow?
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