Do birds have taste buds?

Birds' mouths with beaks instead of lips seem totally different than our own or than those of most animals. Did you know that in spite of their differences, birds have tongues? It's true! So what about taste buds?

The answer is that birds do indeed have taste buds, although they have fewer of them than we do. In fact, birds have fewer taste buds than most animals.

For example, humans have about 9,000 taste buds, while animals like pigs have 15,000 and catfish have 100,000. Birds, on the other hand, usually have less than 400. Some, like pigeons, even have less than 100, while birds like chickens usually don't even have 25!

However, even though they don't usually taste as strongly as other animals, birds do have a stronger sense of touch in their tongues. Can you imagine what it would be like to taste less but feel more of your food??

(by Mya Kagan)