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DO BIRDS HANDLE SPICE BETTER THAN YOU? YES!

published on 27/04/2024 Have you ever experienced the spiciness of a Carolina Reaper, the world's hottest chili pepper? With its 2,200,000 SHU (Scoville Heat Units), this fruit is a challenge even for the bravest palates. But while you frantically reach for milk and bread to soothe the burn, there's a creature calmly observing your torment without even flinching: birds. Yes, you read that right.

Birds, with their superhuman resistance to spice, show us that for some living beings, the spiciness of chili peppers is just a mild snack. You might wonder, how do birds endure what is culinary torture for us? The answer lies in their unique biology. While we mammals, like mice and squirrels, tend to eat mildly spicy peppers, birds not only tolerate them but love them.

Well, it just so happens that we mammals have a receptor called TRPV1 or capsaicin receptor, whose job is to detect heat and regulate body temperature. One of the best activators of this receptor is capsaicin in peppers, and when activated, it creates a painful burning sensation. Now, since birds seem unaffected by the pepper's effect when they eat it, you might think they don't have this receptor, but you'd be wrong! Birds do have their own TRPV1; it's just that their receptor is immune to capsaicin.

So, birds can feast on chili peppers as much as they want, without any negative effects. How lucky! But why would plants want their fruits to be eaten by birds? The answer lies in seed dispersal. Birds, with their migratory habits and ability to travel long distances, distribute chili pepper seeds. While birds devour the spicy fruits, the seeds pass unharmed through their digestive system, ready to be deposited anywhere in the soil through feces.

So, the next time you find yourself struggling with a spicy chili pepper, look up at the sky and imagine birds flying carefree, knowing they can face any culinary challenge with grace and without regrets. And take comfort in the fact that, although they may handle spice better than you, you're fortunate enough to fully appreciate the warmth and fiery flavors of chili peppers.