Then enjoy the show. To others, following scents may be as good as reading a road map, since smell helps them navigate the skies. All birds possess some of the sensory equipment necessary for perceiving odors, but whether all use it is an age-old question. Later research with birds such as pigeons did little to resolve the conundrum. Some seabirds, like storm petrels, recognize the odor of a compound emitted by krill, their main fare.
Turkey vultures track the stench of decaying flesh to ferret out the carrion they eat.
When ethyl mercaptan, a chemical redolent of rotting meat, was pumped through one 42-mile line, the hoodwinked scavengers congregated at the cracks. New Zealand's flightless and nearly sightless kiwi sweeps its bill back and forth like a bloodhound to sniff out insects in leaf litter. And honeyguides, birds that often lead people and animals to beehives, can locate concealed beeswax candles. By Carolyn Shea Email us your questions.