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Most birds have an excellent sense of smell. True or False?

1 Answer

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Final answer:

Most birds do not have an excellent sense of smell; this is a false statement. Predatory birds have very good eyesight, and species like owls can hunt by hearing alone, while other animals, like bloodhounds, have a highly developed sense of smell.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statement that most birds have an excellent sense of smell is generally false. Birds have a large brain relative to the size of their body, with a well-developed part that controls flight, and high intelligence that allows some to use tools and demonstrate complex behaviors. However, when it comes to the sense of smell, most birds have a relatively poor olfactory system, which they compensate for with other heightened senses. For example, predatory birds, or raptors, like hawks, eagles, and falcons, have particularly acute eyesight for hunting, while owls rely on their exceptional hearing to hunt in the dark. Bloodhounds, in contrast, have been specifically bred to have a superior sense of smell, with more olfactory bulbs and larger olfactory receptors, showcasing the variation in olfactory sensitivity among different species.

User Robbie Mills
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