Abstract: In the sixties, Betsy Bang unraveled for the first time the complexity of the olfactory apparatus of procellariiform seabirds (petrels and albatrosses) suggesting an important role of olfaction in their ecology. Shortly after, Prof. B. Wenzel pushed on the investigations on petrels’ well developed olfactory neuroanatomy as well as their sensitivity to food-related scents. Later on, it was shown that the sense of smell is also critical to these birds when homing to their burrow.
Building on these findings, we have demonstrated in several petrel species the importance of the burrow olfactory signature in homing. The nature of this olfactory signature relies predominantly on the mate’s odor. Indeed, in our Y-maze experiments, Antarctic prions (Pachyptila desolata) and blue petrels (Halobaena caerulea) were able to discriminate between their own and their mate odors. However, while they are attracted by the mate odor, they prefer the odor of a conspecific bird to their own.
These results have drawn attention to the possible use of chemical signals in birds’ social behaviors such as individual recognition and/or mate choice. Indeed, petrel life-history traits suggest that an olfactory mediated mate choice may have evolved in this group to ensure genetic compatibility between mates. We have recently shown that a single bird’s semio-chemical profile is more similar to itself, year after year, than to another bird. As a result, a novel function of olfaction emerges in petrels: the perception of a chemical signal that may broadcast individuals’ identity and quality participating to an optimal mate choice.