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Heffner HE, Koay G, Heffner RS. Hearing in helmeted guineafowl (Numida meleagris): audiogram from 2 Hz to 10 kHz and localization acuity for brief noise bursts. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2024; 210:65-73. [PMID: 37280367 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-023-01645-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Behavioral hearing thresholds and noise localization acuity were determined using a conditioned avoidance/suppression procedure for three Helmeted guineafowl (Numida meleagris). The guineafowl responded to frequencies as low as 2 Hz at 82.5 dB SPL, and as high as 8 kHz at 84.5 dB SPL. At a level of 60 dB SPL, their hearing range spanned 8.12 octaves (24.6 Hz-6.86 kHz). Like most birds, they do not hear sounds above 8 kHz. However, the guineafowl demonstrated good low-frequency hearing (frequencies below 32 Hz), showing thresholds that are more sensitive than both the peafowl and pigeon, both of which hear infrasound. It thus appears that infrasound perception may be more common than previously thought and may have implications for species that inhabit areas with wind energy facilities. The guineafowls' minimum audible angle for a 100-ms broadband noise burst was 13.8 °, at the median for birds and near the mean for mammals. Unlike in mammals, the small sample of bird species and limited representation of lifestyles do not yet allow for meaningful interpretations of the selective pressures or mechanisms that underlie their abilities to locate sound sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry E Heffner
- Department of Psychology, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA
| | - Gimseong Koay
- Department of Psychology, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA
| | - Rickye S Heffner
- Department of Psychology, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA.
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Rößler H, May A, Dähne M, Beaulieu M. Long and winding road: Training progress and trainability variation across a psychoacoustic experiment in penguins. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2022.105764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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Aquatic birds have middle ears adapted to amphibious lifestyles. Sci Rep 2022; 12:5251. [PMID: 35347167 PMCID: PMC8960762 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-09090-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Birds exhibit wide variation in their use of aquatic environments, on a spectrum from entirely terrestrial, through amphibious, to highly aquatic. Although there are limited empirical data on hearing sensitivity of birds underwater, mounting evidence indicates that diving birds detect and respond to sound underwater, suggesting that some modifications of the ear may assist foraging or other behaviors below the surface. In air, the tympanic middle ear acts as an impedance matcher that increases sound pressure and decreases sound vibration velocity between the outside air and the inner ear. Underwater, the impedance-matching task is reversed and the ear is exposed to high hydrostatic pressures. Using micro- and nano-CT (computerized tomography) scans of bird ears in 127 species across 26 taxonomic orders, we measured a suite of morphological traits of importance to aerial and aquatic hearing to test predictions relating to impedance-matching in birds with distinct aquatic lifestyles, while accounting for allometry and phylogeny. Birds that engage in underwater pursuit and deep diving showed the greatest differences in ear structure relative to terrestrial species. In these heavily modified ears, the size of the input areas of both the tympanic membrane and the columella footplate of the middle ear were reduced. Underwater pursuit and diving birds also typically had a shorter extrastapedius, a reduced cranial air volume and connectivity and several modifications in line with reversals of low-to-high impedance-matching. The results confirm adaptations of the middle ear to aquatic lifestyles in multiple independent bird lineages, likely facilitating hearing underwater and baroprotection, while potentially constraining the sensitivity of aerial hearing.
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Hearing in Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus): sensitivity to infrasound. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2020; 206:899-906. [PMID: 33025058 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-020-01446-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Revised: 08/31/2020] [Accepted: 09/12/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Despite the excitement that followed the report of infrasound sensitivity in pigeons 40 years ago, there has been limited followup, with only eleven species of birds having auditory thresholds at frequencies below 250 Hz. With such sparse data on low-frequency hearing, there is little understanding of why some birds hear very low frequencies while others do not. To begin to expand the phylogenetic and ecological sample of low-frequency hearing in birds, we determined the behavioral audiogram of the Indian peafowl, Pavo cristatus. Peafowl are thought to use low frequencies generated by the males' tail feathers and wing flutters during courtship displays, and their crest feathers are reported to resonate at infrasound frequencies. The peafowl were able to respond to frequencies as low as 4 Hz, and their hearing range at 60 dB SPL extended from 29 Hz to 7.065 kHz (7.9 octaves). Removing the crest feathers reduced sensitivity at their resonant frequencies by as much as 7.5 dB, indicating a modest contribution to detectability in that range. However, perforation of the tympanic membranes severely reduced sensitivity to low frequencies, indicating that sensitivity to low frequencies is mediated primarily by the ears and cannot be attributed to some other sensory modality.
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A comparative study of avian middle ear mechanics. Hear Res 2020; 395:108043. [DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2020.108043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2019] [Revised: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Mooney TA, Smith A, Larsen ON, Hansen KA, Rasmussen M. A field study of auditory sensitivity of the Atlantic puffin, Fratercula arctica. J Exp Biol 2020; 223:jeb228270. [PMID: 32561627 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.228270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Accepted: 06/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Hearing is vital for birds as they rely on acoustic communication with parents, mates, chicks and conspecifics. Amphibious seabirds face many ecological pressures, having to sense cues in air and underwater. Natural noise conditions have helped shape this sensory modality but anthropogenic noise is increasingly impacting seabirds. Surprisingly little is known about their hearing, despite their imperiled status. Understanding sound sensitivity is vital when we seek to manage the impacts of man-made noise. We measured the auditory sensitivity of nine wild Atlantic puffins, Fratercula arctica, in a capture-and-release setting in an effort to define their audiogram and compare these data with the hearing of other birds and natural rookery noise. Auditory sensitivity was tested using auditory evoked potential (AEP) methods. Responses were detected from 0.5 to 6 kHz. Mean thresholds were below 40 dB re. 20 µPa from 0.75 to 3 kHz, indicating that these were the most sensitive auditory frequencies, similar to other seabirds. Thresholds in the 'middle' frequency range 1-2.5 kHz were often down to 10-20 dB re. 20 µPa. The lowest thresholds were typically at 2.5 kHz. These are the first in-air auditory sensitivity data from multiple wild-caught individuals of a deep-diving alcid seabird. The audiogram was comparable to that of other birds of similar size, thereby indicating that puffins have fully functioning aerial hearing despite the constraints of their deep-diving, amphibious lifestyles. There was some variation in thresholds, yet animals generally had sensitive ears, suggesting aerial hearing is an important sensory modality for this taxon.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Aran Mooney
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
| | - Adam Smith
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, DK-5230 Odense M, Denmark
| | - Ole Næsbye Larsen
- Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, DK-5230 Odense M, Denmark
| | | | - Marianne Rasmussen
- The University of Iceland's Research Center in Húsavík, 640 Húsavík, Iceland
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Anderson Hansen K, Hernandez A, Mooney TA, Rasmussen MH, Sørensen K, Wahlberg M. The common murre (Uria aalge), an auk seabird, reacts to underwater sound. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2020; 147:4069. [PMID: 32611143 DOI: 10.1121/10.0001400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2019] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Marine mammals have fine-tuned hearing abilities, which makes them vulnerable to human-induced sounds from shipping, sonars, pile drivers, and air guns. Many species of marine birds, such as penguins, auks, and cormorants, find their food underwater where light is often limited, suggesting sound detection may play a vital role. Yet, for most marine birds, it is unknown whether they are using, and can thereby be affected by, underwater sound. The authors conducted a series of playback experiments to test whether Alcid seabirds responded to and were disrupted by, underwater sound. Underwater broadband sound bursts and mid-frequency naval 53 C sonar signals were presented to two common murres (Uria aalge) in a quiet pool. The received sound pressure levels varied from 110 to 137 dB re 1 μPa. Both murres showed consistent reactions to sounds of all intensities, as compared to no reactions during control trials. For one of the birds, there was a clearly graded response, so that more responses were found at higher received levels. The authors' findings indicate that common murres may be affected by, and therefore potentially also vulnerable to, underwater noise. The effect of man-made noise on murres, and possibly other marine birds, requires more thorough consideration.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ariana Hernandez
- Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
| | - T Aran Mooney
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 266 Woods Hole Road, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA
| | - Marianne H Rasmussen
- The University of Iceland's Research Center in Húsavík, Hafnarstétt 3, 640 Húsavík, Iceland
| | - Kenneth Sørensen
- Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
| | - Magnus Wahlberg
- Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
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Larsen ON, Wahlberg M, Christensen-Dalsgaard J. Amphibious hearing in a diving bird, the great cormorant ( Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis). J Exp Biol 2020; 223:jeb217265. [PMID: 32098879 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.217265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2019] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Diving birds can spend several minutes underwater during pursuit-dive foraging. To find and capture prey, such as fish and squid, they probably need several senses in addition to vision. Cormorants, very efficient predators of fish, have unexpectedly low visual acuity underwater. So, underwater hearing may be an important sense, as for other diving animals. We measured auditory thresholds and eardrum vibrations in air and underwater of the great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis). Wild-caught cormorant fledglings were anaesthetized, and their auditory brainstem response (ABR) and eardrum vibrations to clicks and tone bursts were measured, first in an anechoic box in air and then in a large water-filled tank, with their head and ears submerged 10 cm below the surface. Both the ABR waveshape and latency, as well as the ABR threshold, measured in units of sound pressure, were similar in air and water. The best average sound pressure sensitivity was found at 1 kHz, both in air (53 dB re. 20 µPa) and underwater (58 dB re. 20 µPa). When thresholds were compared in units of intensity, however, the sensitivity underwater was higher than in air. Eardrum vibration amplitude in both media reflected the ABR threshold curves. These results suggest that cormorants have in-air hearing abilities comparable to those of similar-sized diving birds, and that their underwater hearing sensitivity is at least as good as their aerial sensitivity. This, together with the morphology of the outer ear (collapsible meatus) and middle ear (thickened eardrum), suggests that cormorants may have anatomical and physiological adaptations for amphibious hearing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ole Næsbye Larsen
- Sound and Behaviour Group, Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, DK-5230 Odense M, Denmark
| | - Magnus Wahlberg
- Sound and Behaviour Group, Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, DK-5230 Odense M, Denmark
| | - Jakob Christensen-Dalsgaard
- Sound and Behaviour Group, Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, DK-5230 Odense M, Denmark
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Mooney TA, Smith A, Larsen ON, Hansen KA, Wahlberg M, Rasmussen MH. Field-based hearing measurements of two seabird species. J Exp Biol 2019; 222:222/4/jeb190710. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.190710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2018] [Accepted: 01/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Hearing is a primary sensory modality for birds. For seabirds, auditory data is challenging to obtain and hearing data are limited. Here, we present methods to measure seabird hearing in the field, using two Alcid species: the common murre Uria aalge and the Atlantic puffin Fratercula arctica. Tests were conducted in a portable semi-anechoic crate using physiological auditory evoked potential (AEP) methods. The crate and AEP system were easily transportable to northern Iceland field sites, where wild birds were caught, sedated, studied and released. The resulting data demonstrate the feasibility of a field-based application of an established neurophysiology method, acquiring high quality avian hearing data in a relatively quiet setting. Similar field methods could be applied to other seabirds, and other bird species, resulting in reliable hearing data from a large number of individuals with a modest field effort. The results will provide insights into the sound sensitivity of species facing acoustic habitat degradation.
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Affiliation(s)
- T. Aran Mooney
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 266 Woods Hole Rd, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
| | - Adam Smith
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 266 Woods Hole Rd, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
| | - Ole Naesbye Larsen
- Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, DK-5230 Odense M, Denmark
| | | | - Magnus Wahlberg
- Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, DK-5230 Odense M, Denmark
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Hansen KA, Maxwell A, Siebert U, Larsen ON, Wahlberg M. Great cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo) can detect auditory cues while diving. Naturwissenschaften 2017; 104:45. [PMID: 28477271 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-017-1467-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2016] [Revised: 04/26/2017] [Accepted: 04/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
In-air hearing in birds has been thoroughly investigated. Sound provides birds with auditory information for species and individual recognition from their complex vocalizations, as well as cues while foraging and for avoiding predators. Some 10% of existing species of birds obtain their food under the water surface. Whether some of these birds make use of acoustic cues while underwater is unknown. An interesting species in this respect is the great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo), being one of the most effective marine predators and relying on the aquatic environment for food year round. Here, its underwater hearing abilities were investigated using psychophysics, where the bird learned to detect the presence or absence of a tone while submerged. The greatest sensitivity was found at 2 kHz, with an underwater hearing threshold of 71 dB re 1 μPa rms. The great cormorant is better at hearing underwater than expected, and the hearing thresholds are comparable to seals and toothed whales in the frequency band 1-4 kHz. This opens up the possibility of cormorants and other aquatic birds having special adaptations for underwater hearing and making use of underwater acoustic cues from, e.g., conspecifics, their surroundings, as well as prey and predators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirstin Anderson Hansen
- Department of Biology, Marine Biological Research Center, University of Southern Denmark, Hindsholmvej 11, 5300, Kerteminde, Denmark.
| | - Alyssa Maxwell
- Department of Biology, Marine Biological Research Center, University of Southern Denmark, Hindsholmvej 11, 5300, Kerteminde, Denmark
| | - Ursula Siebert
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research (ITAW), University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Bischofsholer Damm 15, 30173, Hannover, Germany
| | - Ole Næsbye Larsen
- Department of Biology, Marine Biological Research Center, University of Southern Denmark, Hindsholmvej 11, 5300, Kerteminde, Denmark
| | - Magnus Wahlberg
- Department of Biology, Marine Biological Research Center, University of Southern Denmark, Hindsholmvej 11, 5300, Kerteminde, Denmark
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