I need your help for a research :)

[Carmenhdez]

Hello! My name is Carmen Hernández, I am a researcher at the Autonomous University of Madrid. I am studiying the sense of smell in parrots, macaws and toucans! Some owners reported that amazons change their odour when they change their mood. Would you like to tell me more about this? Have you notice this in your parrot or macaw?

Thank you for your help! Any comment about their sense of smell or their plumage odour is welcome! I want to know your thoughts on this topic

 

[Zara]

Hello Carmen, Welcome to Avian Avenue,

Do you mean their sense of smell, or how they smell to us?

 

[Carmenhdez]

In the first sentence I was talking about how they smell to us in certain situacions, for example if they are excited or very afraid. But I am happy to know any curiosities you noticed about their sense of smell too. Thanks Zara!

 

[Pixiebeak]

I have noticed my green cheek conures will give off a scent when happy lovey . My past one Burt did this often, with my current it's just once in awhile I notice this.
It is hard to describe the scent, but it was very pleasant

 

[Carmenhdez]

Hi Pixiebeak! Thank you for your comment. Interestingly, some Amazon owners reported that they emit a very sweet and pleasent smell (like cookies) when amazons are very happy . I want to investigate this phenomenon and I was wondering if it only occurs in Amazona species, but according to what you're saying, it might happen in more groups!!!

 

[Pixiebeak]

I think so! Burt was very bonded to me and my only one at the time , during a cuddle session, bam a cloud of this yummy warm scent would surround her

 

[Xoetix]

I feel like I’ve read some of the macaw owners mention this before

@Toy @Icey @Macawnutz @Shezbug @aooratrix @expressmailtome are a few off the top of my head

 

[Carmenhdez]

I think so! Burt was very bonded to me and my only one at the time , during a cuddle session, bam a cloud of this yummy warm scent would surround her

That's very interesting!!! The odour may be involved in chemical communication between partners

 

[Emma&pico]

Remi does this too @Pixiebeak especially when rubbing his cheek on mine it’s a very sweet scent

 

[Toy]

My previous B&G Macaw & current B&G Macaw both had/have a musky smell when they'd get wet. So after a shower the smell can last a few hours or more then it fades once dry. Was never able to actually cuddle with them or have them on my shoulder, so I can't say if they emit smell then. I never noticed the smell when my previous macaw was in breeding mode.

 

[Icey]

My macaw can smell food when I am in another room. Oranges in particular. I will have to go have a sniff around, but I agree that when he's wet, he has a musky smell.

 

[Shezbug]

Whenever Burt gets excited (happy, stressed or scared) he omits a stronger scent than he normally has if you sniff him. I’m not a fan of the wet bird smell but this other scent is nothing like when he’s wet.

 

[orphansparrow]

My male Green Cheek Conure smells exactly like what you’d imagine dusty honey smelling like. Or maybe a powdered honey. Very strong and pleasant smell. I’ve had him for 16 years. He is not bonded to me but comfortable with me. He is very emotional and moody. The scent remains the same throughout his moods. My female Green Cheek smelled like almost nothing. She was extremely bonded to me. I was her “mate.” She was a very easy going, even tempered bird who I had for about 8 years. She died at age 16.

 

[Shezbug]

Now that I have actually read the first post and the thread not just the post I was tagged in, I can say that the scent Burt puts off when startled, scared, excited is absolutely the best smell in the world to me, it is a sweet and fruity scent to me and I can smell him from about three or four feet away from me whenever he's had a moment that causes the scent release. It reminds me of what ferrets do when startled lol.

 

[aooratrix]

I had 3 ara macaws that I would put in my aviary on nice days. They always smelled sweet and fruity out there, as @Shezbug indicated with her blue and gold macaw. My hyacinth doesn't seem to have an odor. My amazon has that musky odor many associate with them.

 

[Hannah!]

My cockatiel kinda smells like cucumber most of the time

 

[Carmenhdez]

Remi does this too @Pixiebeak especially when rubbing his cheek on mine it’s a very sweet scent

@Emma&pico @Pixiebeak
@orphansparrow


Thank you for your responses! I have a couple of questions, if you don't mind answering, it would be very helpful. First, would you say that when that moment comes when they start to smell sweeter, does this smell come from the uropygial gland or from the feathers in general? Second, in what moments does this occur? Could you give me examples? Is it only during a cuddle session?

Now that I have actually read the first post and the thread not just the post I was tagged in, I can say that the scent Burt puts off when startled, scared, excited is absolutely the best smell in the world to me, it is a sweet and fruity scent to me and I can smell him from about three or four feet away from me whenever he's had a moment that causes the scent release. It reminds me of what ferrets do when startled lol.

Thank you @Shezbug Would you say that the smell comes from the uropygial gland or from the feathers in general?




The fact that parrots and macaws have specialized feathers (powder down) that disintegrate producing dust makes me wonder if it has something to do with the smell and not just the uropygial gland

 

[Carmenhdez]

My macaw can smell food when I am in another room. Oranges in particular. I will have to go have a sniff around, but I agree that when he's wet, he has a musky smell.

Hi Icey, very interesting! Only oranges? Are they his favorite fruits? Does it happen when you chop them? Could it be that they identify them by the sound of cutting?

 

[Pixiebeak]

For when my GCC Burt The Bird ( was a female) smelled like this. It was definitely after several minutes of rubbing face, preening pins off of her , holding her snuggle in my hand . It seemed to just come off all of her skin . I liked to bury my nose in the feathers in back of neck and the scent would be strong there.
Where it originated I can't say .

But green cheek conures when they get happy lovey like to rub their faces around their ears kinda , and do these jaw pops or like yawns , will also scratch around ear area with feet ..it looks s lot like scent marking that other animals can do, start rubbing faces on your fingers especially corner of jaws by ear....
I know this is way out there ...but from ear area??

The same for my current green cheek female, it happens less often , but it seems to go with that same kind of behavior, when she really gets into a preen session and is rubbing her face and doing jaw pops .

The smell doesn't come from mouth.

Seems strongest in nape of neck area.

When mates or buddies are preening each other the concentration is nape of neck feathers and faces , ears and little feathers around eyes.

we have members who have shared videos of this @orphansparrow , @Emma&pico

 

[Pixiebeak]

@April , did you ever notice smell? Do you have examples of that jaw movement GCC do when getting into a preen session?