Ibises learn to 'wash' poisonous toads before eating

Australian White Ibises have learnt to 'wash' poisonous Cane Toads before swallowing them whole, according to researchers.

Widely referred to as "bin chickens" by Australians, the species is known for its opportunistic scavenging behaviour and is a familiar sight in many settlements.

However, Australian White Ibises have recently been seen "playing" with introduced Cane Toads. Having looked closely at footage of this novel behaviour, Emily Vincent of environmental charity Watergum believes that the ibises are in fact 'cleaning' their prey ahead of consuming them.

Australian White Ibises have learnt how to consume Cane Toads without ending up poisoned by the introduced amphibians (Tom Kennedy).

Cane Toads were first introduced to Australia in the 1930s to control a beetle that was plighting sugarcane crops. However, with no native predators, the species has since spread rapidly and wreaked havoc on native wildlife. More than 2 billion Cane Toads are now suspected to be at large in Australia.

The toad's skin contains a venom which it will release when threatened. Many animals that come into contact with it quickly die of a heart attack. It is this which researchers believe the ibises are deliberately trying to avoid. Ms Vincent told the BBC: "Ibis were flipping the toads about, throwing them in the air, and people just wondered what on earth they were doing.

"After this they would always either wipe the toads in the wet grass, or they would go down to a water source nearby, and they would rinse the toads out."

She believes the ibises have developed a so-called "stress, wash and repeat" method to rid the toads of their toxins before swallowing them whole.

Other bird species, such as Black Kites and crows, have previously learnt to avoid the toads' poisonous glands. Typically, the toad would be flipped on to its back to reveal the soft and edible undersides. However, Professor Rick Shine of Macquarie University told the BBC that it was the first time a predator had been documented eating the toads whole.