Do birds have a sensitive sense of smell?

I think you’re better off using visual deterrents with birds.

I agree. I think birds rely more on sight than smell. Many birds can actually see in ultra violet, so the colors you and I see are much brighter to birds.

Place a plastic Bird of prey near by,,,,,,,An Owl maybe !

With very few exceptions (vultures, kiwis, storm petrels), birds have no appreciable sense of smell.

Hanging strips of aluminum foil, annoyingly placed wires sticks and spikes: things like that can help.

According to NPR this morning, many birds have an incredibly well-developed sense of smell.

However… robins eat worms and bugs crawling around on the ground. Do you really think that ‘smell’ is going to deter them a lot?

The aroma of freshly placed glass shards. But I don’t like to recommend torture…

I know that turkey vultures have a highly developed sense of smell.As for songbirds?I am not sure.I would use aluminum foil or plastic owls to deter them like the others have said.

A lot of activity in the near by area can deter them. When I lived in Virgina Beach my porch was a haven for birds. However I noticed the more I was on the porch the less likely they would return the following year. Personally I like as many birds as possible near by. I know whenever I lived near birds nest I never seem to have many bug problems like wasps and bees and yet where there are no birds, I seem to get wasps nest and bees. Not sure if its just a coincidence but at least the birds have never try to attack me.