PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Cunningham, Gregory B.
AU  - Van Buskirk, Richard W.
AU  - Bonadonna, Francesco
AU  - Weimerskirch, Henri
AU  - Nevitt, Gabrielle A.
TI  - A comparison of the olfactory abilities of three species of procellariiform chicks
AID  - 10.1242/jeb.00286
DP  - 2003 May 15
TA  - Journal of Experimental Biology
PG  - 1615--1620
VI  - 206
IP  - 10
4099  - http://jeb.biologists.org/content/206/10/1615.short
4100  - http://jeb.biologists.org/content/206/10/1615.full
SO  - J. Exp. Biol.2003 May 15; 206
AB  - 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.