Sense or Nonsense?

Why some birds can taste and smell - but others can't

- PURBITA SAHA

Does a porcelain berry taste like a blueberry to a gray catbird? Does a block of lard smell like frying bacon to a northern flicker? The short answer is no. While some avian species do have a well-adapted sense of taste or smell, they can't distinguish between flavors and odors the way humans can. "They're not picking up every ingredient in the suet you put out," says José Ramírez-Garofalo, an ornithology researcher at Rutgers University in New Jersey and the director of Freshkills Biological Station in Staten Island, New York.

Tasting Notes

In general, birds have a primitive sense of taste that lets them know when something is salty or bitter. This likely helps them gather essential nutrients like sodium while steering clear of toxic compounds.