The ability to recognize close relatives in order to cooperate or to avoid inbreeding is widespread across all taxa. One accepted mechanism for kin recognition in birds is associative learning of visual or acoustic cues. However, how could individuals ever learn to recognize unfamiliar kin? Here, we provide the first evidence for a novel mechanism of kin recognition in birds. Zebra finch ( Taeniopygia guttata ) fledglings are able to distinguish between kin and non-kin based on olfactory cues alone. Since olfactory cues are likely to be genetically based, this finding establishes a neglected mechanism of kin recognition in birds, particularly in songbirds, with potentially far-reaching consequences for both kin selection and inbreeding avoidance.

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsbl.2011.1093

Olfactory kin recognition in a songbird

Kin recognition and inbreeding avoidance in wild birds: the first evidence for individual kin-related odour recognition

The perfume of reproduction in birds: chemosignaling in avian social life.

Mate choice for major histocompatibility complex (MHC) compatibility has been found in several taxa, although rarely in birds. MHC is a crucial component in adaptive immunity and by choosing an MHC-dissimilar partner, heterozygosity and potentially broad pathogen resistance is maximized in the offspring. The MHC genotype influences odour cues and preferences in mammals and fish and hence olfactory-based mate choice can occur. We tested whether blue petrels, Halobaena caerulea, choose partners based on MHC compatibility. This bird is long-lived, monogamous and can discriminate between individual odours using olfaction, which makes it exceptionally well suited for this analysis. We screened MHC class I and II B alleles in blue petrels using 454-pyrosequencing and quantified the phylogenetic, functional and allele-sharing similarity between individuals. Partners were functionally more dissimilar at the MHC class II B loci than expected from random mating (p = 0.033), whereas there was no such difference at the MHC class I loci. Phylogenetic and non-sequence-based MHC allele-sharing measures detected no MHC dissimilarity between partners for either MHC class I or II B. Our study provides evidence of mate choice for MHC compatibility in a bird with a high dependency on odour cues, suggesting that MHC odour-mediated mate choice occurs in birds.

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rspb.2012.1562

Major histocompatibility complex class II compatibility, but not class I, predicts mate choice in a bird with highly developed olfaction

This volume presents the proceedings of Chemical Signals in Vertebrates 12 , hosted by the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research and held between 28th 31st August, 2011 at the Schloss Friedrichsfelde and the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany. Chemical Signals in Vertebrates 12 contains the latest research on chemical communication relevant to vertebrates, particularly focusing on new research since the previous meeting in 2006. Topics covered include chemical ecology, biochemistry, behaviour and neurobiology of vertebrates. A broad range of taxonomic groups are discussed, including fish, amphibian, reptiles, birds and mammals including humans. Contributions address a range of topics including new directions in semiochemistry, predator avoidance, olfactory functions including recognition within species, sexual communication and social integration, maternal-offspring communication and applications for conservation.About the editors:Dr Marion L. East is a research scientist in the Department of Evolutionary Ecology at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research where she heads the Spotted Hyena Research Group. Dr Martin Dehnhard is a research scientist in the Department of Reproduction Biology where he heads the endocrine and the pheromone laboratory

Chemical Signals in Vertebrates 12

Chemical signals yield critical socio-ecological information in many animals, such as species, identity, social status or sex, but have been poorly investigated in birds. Recent results showed that chemical signals are used to recognize their nest and partner by some petrel seabirds whose olfactory anatomy is well developed and which possess a life-history propitious to olfactory-mediated behaviours. Here, we investigate whether blue petrels (Halobaena caerulea) produce some chemical labels potentially involved in kin recognition and inbreeding avoidance. To overcome methodological constraints of chemical analysis and field behavioural experiments, we used an indirect behavioural approach, based on mice olfactory abilities in discriminating odours. We showed that mice (i) can detect odour differences between individual petrels, (ii) perceive a high odour similarity between a chick and its parents, and (iii) perceive this similarity only before fledging but not during the nestling developmental stage. Our results confirm the existence of an individual olfactory signature in blue petrels and show for the first time, to our knowledge, that birds may exhibit an olfactory kin label, which may have strong implications for inbreeding avoidance.

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsbl.2011.0340

Chemical kin label in seabirds

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Chemical kin label in seabirds