my dad informed me yesterday that birds haven't got a sense of smell.

'if that is the case why do they have nostrils?' i argued

I was about to argue the same thing....though they might just use them for breathing.

well i suppose so. But i cannot believe they haven't got a sense of smell.

Well, what would they smell??? Wait....they're sensitive to certain smells like air freshner, some kitchen smells, etc. So doesn't that mean they have to have a sense of smell???

thats what i thought.

i remember offering rocky a piece of cucumber once and he turned his nose up at it even though he hadn't tasted it. surely thats a sign he didn't care for the smell of it.

Im not really sure about this one. A bird reacts badly to airfresheners and such things NOT because it can SMELL them, but simply because the fumes and chemicals play havoc with their respiratory systems. (like us, with carbon monoxide poisonong, we cant smell it at all, but it can still kill us)

I kow with Teapot, if ive had a strong curry the night before, he will fight beak and claw to get his pesky featherd head inside my mouth (he ADORES curry) and that tells me he can smell the curry breath (eeek! I actually STINK?????) (Laughing out loud)!

If i find anything deffinate on this subject, i'll post it for you.

Anne

(Laughing out loud)

It would seem a little odd with budgies not having a sense of smell, but I think they do have a sense of smell.

I'll see if I can do some research on it. :book:

Do birds have a sense of smell?--Lanney Atchley, Sandia Park, NM

What would a bird smell? They live among treetops where odors scatter quickly. Up there, how could they detect prey, enemies, or mates--by a mere whiff?

 

"Yet the apparatus for detecting odors is present in the nasal passages of all birds," writes Paul Ehrlich, David Dobkin, and Darryl Wheye in The Birder's Handbook.

 

Sparrows, chickens, pigeons, ducks, shearwaters, albatrosses, kiwi, and vultures have a sense of smell. Physiologists can record electrical impulses transmitted through the bird's olfactory nerves, proving that these birds can smell.

 

The Kiwi, a flightless bird of New Zealand, uses its bill to sniff out food and avoid danger. See Figure 1, Great Speckled Kiwi, photo from the Department of Conservation, New Zealand.

 

http://www.wonderquest.com/BirdsSmell.htm

 

Sounds like they can all smell, I just doubt that parrots use that sense very often. It's probably not very strong unlike with a dog who actually relies on that sense.

 

This was just the first article I came across. If you find more please share Sparky! (Or anyone else!)

That would explain why my lorikeet nearly crawled into my son's mouth tonight! Wonder if it was the chicken or the salad she found so enticing?

Hehe...Blinkie's always after my food but i doubt it's because of the smell. He just enjoys stealing from me. :nest:

(Laughing out loud) Bea

Try and think of it as him looking up at you and just wanting to be like you.

Yeah right......anyway, today i found some banana scented rope perches on ebay. Weird yes...but doesn't that indicate they can smell?

OOOh how much where they Bea have you got the link?

Banana scented rope perch

Wow they are great Im getting one wonder if they mail to England I think they do how much is $6.95 less or more than ?6.95?

Dad just said about ?3. The postage is more for worldwide postage though.