Birds are maniraptoran theropod dinosaurs that evolved in the Late Cretaceous - 100.5 to 66.0 million years ago (MYA) - their lineage splitting from that of humans around 310–330 MYA. Until 66 MYA dinosaurs dominated the daylight hours, where vision is important, while mammals were furtive, nocturnal and reliant as much on smell as on sight. As a result, most mammals have relatively poor vision but a better sense of smell, while the opposite is true of birds1-3. Humans are somewhat of an exception, however.
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