Do birds burp?

December 14, 2006 11:38 AM

Do birds burp?

No, seriously. My childhood pet, a parakeet (he will be missed!), used to make these gassy noises occasionally that sounded like burping. Can birds actually emit stomach gas through their beaks? I've always wondered ...

posted by zembla3 to Pets & Animals (8 answers total)

Maybe it's just urban legend, but I was always under the notion that birds can't pass gas in any way, which is why they die if you feed them alka-seltzer.
posted by pazazygeek at 11:41 AM on December 14, 2006

They cannot burp, according to this expert. (gcache because it would not load on my computer).
posted by JeremiahBritt at 11:44 AM on December 14, 2006

I know they sneeze. It's quite funny to see a robin hopping around with a cold.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 11:46 AM on December 14, 2006

They can burp, according to this expert?
posted by dance at 11:56 AM on December 14, 2006

Ignoring the fact that 'keets are great mimics and certain sounds they might make may sound like burps, they do regurgitate so wouldn't they also emit gasses?
posted by sneakyalien at 12:01 PM on December 14, 2006

oops.
posted by JeremiahBritt at 12:09 PM on December 14, 2006

From JeremiahBritt's link:

"Birds have a different digestive system than humans, though they do have an esophagus and are capable of burping."

So...um...don't know how that got interpreted as "they cannot burp." Because according to the expert, yes.
posted by holyrood at 3:44 PM on December 14, 2006

That's what I get for having five windows and countless tabs open while doing three things at once. I'll be more careful in the future.
posted by JeremiahBritt at 9:48 PM on December 14, 2006