Do birds have taste buds?

Ran out of crackers, so I fed the birds some stale crumbled up pop tarts. Got to thinking - do birds have the ability to recognize different tastes? Asked by TurboB 60 months ago Similar questions: birds taste buds Food & Drink > Food.

Yep, they taste but not very well (they have fewer tastebuds than mammals) TASTE Taste buds, concentrated on the posterior part of the tongue and pharynx floor, are similar to mammalian ones. The total number of taste buds is less, though. Sweet- Many birds show little interest in sugar/sweet taste except for parrots, hummingbirds, and other nectar and fruit feeders.

Hummingbirds can distinguish different kinds of sugars and their concentrations. Seed eaters show no preference for sweet or sour. Salt - For most birds there is a variety of salt discrimination levels.

For sea birds tolerance for salt water is high; they can excrete excess salt through their nasal glands although they will drink fresh water in preference to salt water if given the choice. Sour- Birds have a wide range of tolerance for sour. Bitter- Again, a variety of responses.

The classic study was done by Brower in 1969. Many species of milkweeds contain cardiac glycosides. If the milkweed is eaten by an animal the heart rate drops but the beat is stronger; a large enough dose is fatal. But 1/2 the fatal dose causes vomiting so an animal will throw up before it absorbs a lethal dose.

Many animals learn, then, not to eat milkweeds. Some insects, however, can eat the plants with no apparent side effects. One is the caterpillar of the Monarch Butterfly.

Brower raised Monarchs in captivity; some on milkweed and some on cabbage, which has no cardiac glycosides. The cabbage-raised butterflies were fed to Blue Jays and they ate them with no ill effects. Then the birds were offered the monarchs raised on milkweed; 12 minutes later the Blue Jays became violently ill, vomited, but recovered in 1/2 hour.

Then the Blue Jays would reject all Monarchs introduced into the cages, no matter how they were raised. If starved, the Blue Jays would capture and pick at the butterflies to taste them first. The point of this is that birds can taste bitter and will learn to associate bitter with plants or animals and avoid them.

Both the predator and prey benefit as the prey doesn't get eaten and the predator doesn't get sick and waste time eating them. Sources: http://www.ornithology.com/lectures/Senses.html .

Yes. Virtually all higher creatures have nerve endings that measure taste. Taste is one of the most useful evolutionary advances--if not taste as a thing appreciated deeply.It is very useful to measure chemical contents of acidity, etc. Most animals have much more refined senses than we do because nature has rewarded them with better survival odds.

We rely to a large degree on problem-solving and migration..

Yes Article 1: Yes, birds have the ability to taste different flavors. One important line of indirect evidence is mimicry. This is the ability of a prey animal A to make itself appear like poisonous, or foul-tasting, animal B.

While animal A is in most cases not poisonous itself, it uses the colors of animal B to deter birds or other predators from eating it. Birds who have learned that animal B tastes bad will not eat animal A. Thus birds must have taste buds to have the ability to distinguish between good and bad tasting food.

Birds must also have the ability to taste sweet food. Every gardener who owns one or more fruit trees or a grape vine will attest to the destructive power of birds: they can easily eat up a harvest of grapes or cherries just at ripening time, when the fruits are the sweetest, in a matter of a few days. Since I am not a bird expect, I cannot tell you whether they possess the tastebuds for bitterness or saltiness or sourness like we do.

The ability of taste food is essential to survival of all animals. It also helps them determine which is the better(higher in fat and calories) food. A starved little bird will choose to eat suet (beef fat) over seeds in the winter because suet contains higher amount of calories per gram of food.

The bird does not necessarily know that the beef fat is better for its health; its species has been naturally selected over thousands of years to seek higher calory food for its survival. 2: Birds have taste buds on the base of their tongues, but not nearly as many as man and other mammals. Rabbits have about 17,000 taste buds in their mouths.

Humans have about 9,000. A domestic pigeon has 27-59. The tastes perceptible to us are sweet, sour, bitter and salt.

Only birds that feed on fruit or nectar, like parrots and hummingbirds, show any interest in sweet tastes. Sour is widely tolerated by birds. Salt tolerance varies.

Seabirds can excrete excess salt through their nasal glands, but will prefer fresh water to salt water if given a choice. Bitter, a taste often associated with poisons gets a variety of responses. Blue jays were fed Monarch butterflies that were fed on cabbage.No ill effects occurred.

Then they were fed Monarchs that had been fed on milkweed, which contains cardiac glycosides that are fatal if eaten in large enough doses. The jays ate the monarchs raised on milkweed. Twelve minutes later they vomited but recovered in about half an hour.

From then on, the Blue jays rejected all Monarchs, no matter how they were raised. If starved, the jays first tasted the butterflies before eating them, and then only ate the cabbage raised Monarchs. Sources: http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/feb98/884978244.Zo.r.html and http://wildbirdsonline.com/a_featured.htm .

Birds have taste buds on the base of their tongues Birds have taste buds on the base of their tongues, but not nearly as many as man and other mammals. Rabbits have about 17,000 taste buds in their mouths. Humans have about 9,000.

A domestic pigeon has 27-59. The tastes perceptible to us are sweet, sour, bitter and salt. Only birds that feed on fruit or nectar, like parrots and hummingbirds, show any interest in sweet tastes.

Sour is widely tolerated by birds. Salt tolerance varies. Seabirds can excrete excess salt through their nasal glands, but will prefer fresh water to salt water if given a choice.

Bitter, a taste often associated with poisons gets a variety of responses. Blue jays were fed Monarch butterflies that were fed on cabbage. No ill effects occurred.

Then they were fed Monarchs that had been fed on milkweed, which contains cardiac glycosides that are fatal if eaten in large enough doses. The jays ate the monarchs raised on milkweed. Twelve minutes later they vomited but recovered in about half an hour.

From then on, the Blue jays rejected all Monarchs, no matter how they were raised. If starved, the jays first tasted the butterflies before eating them, and then only ate the cabbage raised Monarchs. Sources: http://www.wildbirdsonline.com/a_featured.htm .

Good thought I don't know if they have tastebuds, but they sure do show their preference at our feeders. The sunflower seeds are always the first to go. They just throw the tiny round seeds to the ground then the Morning Doves clean them up..

(i.e. A cold)" "Have a persistent cough. Taking vitamin c cough drops, roof of my mouth very raw and tongue/taste buds seems swol" "Can't eat fruits nor vegetables since I was a kid they taste so bad!

Is there anything wrong with my taste buds? Any cure" "can the birds distinguish letal food?" "which cookware pots make food taste richer.." "Let's get those taste buds working candy lovers......" "Why can I only taste food I am eating if I blow my nose? I have allergies and even on zyrtec/nasal spray cannot taste.

" "Does NutriSystem food taste any good?

Have a persistent cough. Taking vitamin c cough drops, roof of my mouth very raw and tongue/taste buds seems swol.

Can't eat fruits nor vegetables since I was a kid they taste so bad! Is there anything wrong with my taste buds? Any cure.

Which cookware pots make food taste richer..

Let's get those taste buds working candy lovers......

I have allergies and even on zyrtec/nasal spray cannot taste.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.