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A comparison of the olfactory abilities of three species of procellariiform chicks
1 Center for Animal Behavior and the Department of Neurobiology, Physiology
and Behaviour, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis,
California, 95616, USA
2 Centre d`Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, Centre National de la
Recherche Scientifique, F-79360 Villiers en Bois, France
* Author for correspondence (e-mail: gbcunningham{at}ucdavis.edu)
Accepted 10 February 2003
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.
Key words: olfaction, procellariiform, Halobaena caerulea, Pachyptila belcheri, Pelecanoides urinatrix, Kerguelen island, dimethyl sulphide, foraging, sleep-like state
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