Small Emissions with Major Consequences: Specialized Malodorous Defenses in Birds

Nowadays, birds are among the most conspicuous living organisms on Earth. Their large size, often colorful plumage, breeding behavior, migration, as well as recognizable song and potential for domestication have made them probably the best studied group of vertebrates. Ornithologists, biologists, bird watchers, or simple amateurs have exhaustively studied their anatomy, physiology, distribution, ecology, behavior, and classification.
Nevertheless, it would be presumptuous to consider birds as a fully known territory. Much more remains to be studied among the nearly 10,000 avian species. Now, a fresh look at their intra- and interspecific interactions might be profitable, as old beliefs need to be revised. Largely underestimated, the avian sense of smell, as well as taste to some extent, belong to this category. For decades, this bias has negatively
impacted potential observations and research on the importance of airborne signals in birds. The moment to catch up has arrived.