Species to catch birds to decompose to decompose into fertilizer

Scientists discovered two new species of plants on a Caribbean island that could trap and kill inexperienced birds.

The peaceful islands of the Caribbean Sea are not only paradise for those who want to relax on the beach but also for many birds seeking shelter and breeding, according to IFL Science. However, some of the islands here appear a "bird catcher" capable of trapping and killing inexperienced birds, turning their decay into fertilizer.

Fruit of bird catchers can stick to bird feathers and kill them.(Video: BBC).

Marcos A. Caraballo-Ortiz, a graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania, USA, and Jorge C. Trejo-Torres, a plant specialist at the Regional Conservation Institute in Florida, USA, discovered two new species of bird-catchers with scientific names. Learn Pisonia horneae and Pisonia roqueae in the forests of Puerto Rico. Descriptions of them are published in Phytokeys magazine on September 26.

Bird catcher belongs to the genus botanical called Pisonia . The fruit of the tree is very sticky and covered with countless small hooks. Usually they stick to the backs of birds and spread to other islands. But sometimes plants become enemies to animals that help them transport seeds.

When the fruit falls to the ground, sticky plastic attracts insects and makes the animal trapped. This attracts birds who want to find an easy meal. However, it was the birds that came flying were also trapped by the combination of sticky plastic and hooks. Birds cannot fly up and starve under a tree, becoming fertilizer for the soil.

The fruit of the bird catcher contains a sticky substance and is covered by numerous small hooks.(Photo: Jorge C. Trejo-Torres).

Under the root of the bird-catching tree often appears scattered small bones of surviving victims on the ground. Sometimes the bird carcass hangs on a branch like a horror story.

"So far, we have not seen with our own eyes the case of birds trapped by the sticky fruits of two newly discovered species, but future studies will discover this possibility," Marcus A. Caraballo- The research author Ortiz said.