Somewhere, right now, an adult is quoting an interesting animal "fact" that he actually learned from an old cartoon. Or from some other equally unreliable source. This is why sayings like "blind as a bat" persist even though bats can in fact see (tip: try substituting the more accurate phrase, "Blind as a man with two assholes in his face instead of eyes").
Anyway, as we've pointed out before, animals are one of those subjects particularly vulnerable to laughable misconceptions. Which is why even today you can hear somebody say ...
5Mother Birds Abandon Their Chicks if You Touch Them
You're a little kid, and you have discovered a newly hatched chick for the first time. Maybe it fell out of the nest! You go to poke it, when your mom runs up and gives you the "Don't touch it or the mother bird will abandon it!" speech. Something to do with the bird having the smell of a human on it. And from that point forward, you know that loving something means letting it remain free ... from your repugnant stink, which is capable of ruining a life form for entire its species.
On one hand, the warning is well advised. Trying to help a baby bird by feeding it, cleaning it or housing it will usually kill it. There is a specific set of instructions for how to care for an abandoned bird, though usually the bird isn't even abandoned. Usually, kids are just stumbling upon the bird when its mother is away doing something else.
"I just want some goddamned time to my goddamned self."
It's a big enough problem that it's actually against the law to try and raise a native species of baby bird yourself; it's punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine up to 15 grand. Damn, having to admit that to your fellow inmates would actually be worse than the sentence itself.
"They caught me selling a dimebag of baby crows to an undercover."
The Problem ...
First off, birds hardly use their noses; instead they rely on their eyes and ears. So no, they can't immediately sense when a baby has been tainted by human stench, whether you pick it up with your hands or try to rub your balls on it.
Second, birds don't really care if humans touch their chicks or not. While touching a bird when it is learning to fly can be detrimental to its ability to fly, it doesn't stop mother birds from feeding or caring for their chicks. They're still bonded to them through good and bad, just like your parents are with you.
Except for the times they left you in the woods, only for the wolves to return you in disgust.
So How'd It Get Started?
Animal welfare organizations have long maintained (even now) that you shouldn't help newly born animals with anything because they're still learning. But, if you've ever met a 7-year-old, you know they're not easily deterred. "But MOM! The baby needs my help getting back to the nest!" So, the moms came up with this urban legend: "If you touch it, its mom will let him starve while watching you with blank, judgmental eyes dear. You see for mommies, it's a thin line between nurturing, and gladly ridding ourselves of a foul smelling accident that ruined her life."
"I'm not sure how we got on to this."