Myth of the Bad-Nose Birds

Blame Audubon. Animal behaviorist Timothy Roper says that the renowned naturalist propagated die-hard misunderstandings of birds' sense of smell. In 1826, he published on the habits of the turkey vulture "with a View to Exploding the Opinion Generally Held of Its Extraordinary Power of Smelling." Observers as far back as Aristotle had claimed that various vultures sniff their way to prey. Yet Audubon argued that they couldn't smell. He described hiding smelly meat close to caged turkey vultures. They showed no sign of noticing.