Abstract
IN 1906 Benham published an account of his attempt to obtain direct evidence about the reputed ability of the kiwi to smell earthworms in soil1. Neither this effort nor a later one, described briefly by Strong2 in 1911, collected sufficient data to settle the question. Since then, comments in general treatises have ranged from open mindedness3 to flat assertions that the kiwi has unusually keen olfactory sensitivity4.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Benham, W. B., Nature, 74, 222 (1906).
Strong, R. M., J. Morphol., 22, 619 (1911).
Duncan, C. J., in A New Dictionary of Birds (edit. by Thomson, A. L.), 764 (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1964).
Walls, G. L., The Vertebrate Eye, 650 (Cranbrook Inst. Sci., Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, 1942).
Bang, B. G., and Cobb, S., The Auk, 85, 55 (1968).
Wenzel, B. M., in Second Intern. Symp. Olfaction and Taste (edit. by Hayashi, T.), 203 (Pergamon, Oxford, 1967).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
WENZEL, B. Olfactory Prowess of the Kiwi. Nature 220, 1133–1134 (1968). https://doi.org/10.1038/2201133a0
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/2201133a0
- Springer Nature Limited
This article is cited by
-
Neuroanatomy of the late Cretaceous Thescelosaurus neglectus (Neornithischia: Thescelosauridae) reveals novel ecological specialisations within Dinosauria
Scientific Reports (2023)
-
A global review of the ecological significance of symbiotic associations between birds and fungi
Fungal Diversity (2019)
-
The Evolution of Olfactory Capabilities in Wild Birds: A Comparative Study
Evolutionary Biology (2018)
-
Evidence that the house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus) uses scent to avoid omnivore mammals
Revista Chilena de Historia Natural (2015)
-
Impact of kin odour on reproduction in zebra finches
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology (2015)