ChilliFacts

Bird's Eye Chilli Scoville Heat

Bird's Eye Chilli measures 50,000–100,000 SHU, with a typical figure of 75,000 SHU: about 15× a typical jalapeño. It ranks #15 among verified peppers.

Also called Thai bird's eye, Phrik khi nu. Capsicum annuum (often confused with C. frutescens bird chillies).

Data checked October 20, 2026 · How we rank and verify

75,000 SHUTypical heat
50,000–100,000 SHUMeasured range
15×Against a jalapeño
Lab testedStatus
Pepper X: 2,693,000 SHUDragon's Breath: 2,480,000 SHUCarolina Reaper: 1,641,183 SHUTrinidad Scorpion Butch T: 1,463,700 SHU7 Pot Primo: 1,400,000 SHUKomodo Dragon: 1,400,000 SHUNaga Viper: 1,382,118 SHUTrinidad Moruga Scorpion: 1,200,000 SHUInfinity: 1,176,182 SHU7 Pot Brain Strain: 1,175,000 SHU7 Pot Douglah: 1,170,000 SHUDorset Naga: 1,032,310 SHUGhost Pepper: 1,001,304 SHUNaga Morich: 1,000,000 SHUDalle Khursani: 393,950 SHUFatalii: 262,500 SHURed Savina: 248,556 SHUHabanero: 225,000 SHUScotch Bonnet: 225,000 SHUDatil: 200,000 SHUKanthari: 80,640 SHUCayenne: 40,000 SHUTabasco: 40,000 SHUGuntur Chilli: 36,160 SHUKashmiri Chilli: 20,800 SHUSerrano: 15,000 SHUByadgi Chilli: 10,000 SHUJalapeño: 5,000 SHUBird's Eye Chilli · 75,0001K SHU10K SHU100K SHU1M SHU
Where Bird's Eye Chilli sits on the Scoville scale. Each dot is a pepper in our dataset, on a log scale.

Where the number comes from

NDSU and UF/IFAS both give 50,000-100,000 for 'Thai' peppers. 'Bird's eye' covers many cultivars, and some sources stretch the top end to 250,000.

Origin

Southeast Asia (species from the Americas). Like all chillies it originated in the Americas. It reached Southeast Asia in the 16th-17th centuries through Spanish and Portuguese trade. The Thai name phrik khi nu means 'mouse-dropping chilli', after its shape. [3]

Flavour and looks

Fruity, lightly earthy.

Colours: red, green.

Facts

  • 'Bird's eye' covers dozens of cultivars, so heat varies a lot between sources. [4]

Hotter and milder

Bird's Eye Chilli compared

Compare Bird's Eye Chilli with any other pepper →

Questions

How hot is Bird's Eye Chilli?

Bird's Eye Chilli measures 50,000–100,000 SHU, with a typical figure of 75,000 SHU. That makes it a hot pepper.

How many times hotter is Bird's Eye Chilli than a jalapeño?

About 15× a typical jalapeño (75,000 vs 5,000 SHU). Against the hottest jalapeños it is about 9.4×, and against the mildest about 30×.

Is Bird's Eye Chilli the hottest pepper in the world?

No. It ranks #15 in our verified ranking. The current record holder is Pepper X at 2,693,000 SHU.

Where does Bird's Eye Chilli come from?

Southeast Asia (species from the Americas). Like all chillies it originated in the Americas.

Is the Bird's Eye Chilli heat figure verified?

Lab tested: Measured by a university, government or peer-reviewed lab. NDSU and UF/IFAS both give 50,000-100,000 for 'Thai' peppers.

Sources

  1. NDSU Extension FN584 'From the Garden to the Table: Salsa!': 50,000-100,000
  2. UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions, 'Peppers Ranked by Heat': 50,000-100,000
  3. Wikipedia, Bird's eye chili: species, name meaning, spread to Asia (secondary source)
  4. PepperScale (Matt Bray): flavour, variety confusion (secondary source)