Parrots can't taste sweet

[Wolf]

I ran across this article about penguins not being able to taste their fish and it turns out that the tested other birds as well to see what they could or could not taste. It seems that parrots can't taste sweet. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/ ... -sour.html
Here is the link if you are interested.

[Pajarita]

Hmmm, for one thing, I would not be 100% sure of that because we have found lately (as science in general and ornithology knowledge in particular has become better) that animals like birds, reptiles, insects, etc would, sometimes, use a different organ, receptor or biological path different than mammals for a comparable function (avian vision pathway between the eye and the brain or certain cognitive functions which originate in a completely different part of the brain for birds than mammals, for example).

But, on the other hand, it makes sense because nature eliminates anything that is not necessary (as in the case of penguins and dolphins taste receptors -not needed because they swallow their food whole) so, for example, obligate carnivores (like cats) don't taste sweet for the simple reason that they don't need it as all they eat is meat. And, on the other hand, it also eliminates something that would just create a problem -like, for example, eliminating a bird's ability to taste hot spicy food which, in reality, it's not a flavor but a burning sensation to the capsaicin which is not a protein (flavor receptors are protein 'switches') but a lipid molecule related to what gives vanilla its flavor so the bird can disseminate the plants seeds- or alter their 'sensitivity' as is the case with the glucosinolates (the compound that makes cabbages bitter). So it is entirely possible that nature eliminated the sweet receptors because sweet is not the taste of poison (it's bitter and humans have 25 different receptors for bitter) so, for a bird, tasting sweet is not necessary.

[liz]

So why is Rambo so crazy about jelly beans.
We were playing poker one night with Rambo sitting on the back of a chair. All of a sudden he jumped on the table, ran across it and grabbed a red m&dm. I had to chase him down to get it back. I didn't know he could move that fast. I wonder how long he planned his theft. It scared the other poker players. I had to give him a little piece of Swedish fish he was so mad at me.

[Wolf]

Jelly beans may be almost pure sugar but they are flavored sugar and the M&M is chocolate.

[Pajarita]

And both are very colorful!