title: A comparison of the olfactory abilities of three species of procellariiform chicks.
abstract: Most studies investigating olfactory sensitivities in procellariiform seabirds have concentrated on adults, but little attention has been paid to how olfactory behaviours develop. We took a first step towards understanding the ontogeny of these behaviours by testing the olfactory abilities of the blue petrel Halobaena caerulea, the thin-billed prion Pachyptila belcheri, and the common diving petrel Pelecanoides urinatrix. We scored the responsiveness of chicks in a sleep-like state to puffs of odours presented near their nostrils. We tested reactions to dimethyl sulphide (DMS, a prey-related odourant) and phenyl ethyl alcohol (PEA, a novel odourant); distilled water was used as a control. Scores for blue petrel chicks were significantly greater for DMS and PEA than for control presentations, while scores for thin-billed prions were significantly greater only for PEA. Common diving petrels did not respond significantly to either odourant. These results are consistent with what is known of adult olfactory behaviours. A negative correlation between the mass of blue petrel chicks and their mean responsiveness to odours indicates that older or recently fed birds are less responsive to these stimuli.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, California 95616, USA. gbcunningham@ucdavis.edu
authors.forename: Gregory B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Cunningham
authors.forename: Richard W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Van Buskirk
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bonadonna
authors.forename: Henri
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Weimerskirch
authors.forename: Gabrielle A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Nevitt
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D001717:Birds / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D009812:Odorants; D012903:Smell / Q000502:physiology*; D013045:Species Specificity