Shearwaters and petrels (hereafter petrels) are highly adapted seabirds that occur across all
the world's oceans. Petrels are a threatened seabird group comprising 124 species. They …

Smell is a sensory modality that is rarely considered in birds, but evidence is mounting that
olfaction is an important aspect of avian behaviour and ecology. The uropygial gland …

Sentience–the ability to feel, perceive and experience–is central to the animal welfare
debate as it raises the question of whether animals experience suffering in life and death …

Studies of female mate choice commonly use virgin females as test subjects, either to control
for the effects of mating or because virgin females are presumed to be more responsive to …

Animals are usually expected to avoid mating with relatives (kin avoidance) as incestuous
mating can lead to the expression of inbreeding depression. Yet, theoretical models predict …

This article is part of a Special Issue “Chemosignals and Reproduction”. Chemical cues
were probably the first cues ever used to communicate and are still ubiquitous among living …

Many animals are known to preferentially mate with partners that are dissimilar at the major
histocompatibility complex (MHC) in order to maximize the antigen binding repertoire (or …

For a long time birds were assumed to be anosmic or at best microsmatic, with olfaction a
poorly understood and seldom investigated part of avian physiology. The full viability of …

Odor is everywhere, emitted across the landscape from predators, prey, decaying carcasses,
conspecifics, vegetation, surface water, and smoke. Many animals exploit odor to find food …

Chemical cues are arguably the most fundamental means of animal communication and
play an important role in mate choice and kin recognition. Consequently, there is growing …