Re: HOW DO BIRDS HEAR?

Hi Regina,

How do birds hear?

The simple answer is with ears just like you and me. But unlike us, birds don't have a fleshy outer ear to catch sound waves or hang jewelry on. Instead they have small ear openings on the sides of their heads. These openings or holes are usually hidden under special feathers that do not restrict their hearing. Some birds like Ostriches and Old World Vultures do not have feathers on their heads so the ear openings are exposed on these species. Follow this link to see a picture of a Turkey Vulture.

http://www.accutek.com:80/vulture/vulturepic.HTM

Kind of cute isn't he?

The small hole below the eye and behind the mouth is the ear opening.

You might ask, how well do birds hear?

Because hearing is vital to all birds' survival, they hear extremely well. Birds need to hear to socialize with other birds, to find a mate, locate food and to be warned of possible dangers. The hearing of many owls is so specialized that they can pinpoint and catch prey in complete darkness. Woodpeckers use their ability to hear low frequency sounds to detect small insects deep inside trees and logs.

A little history: Realizing that many birds could hear far better than humans, during World War I (this is before radar) parrots were kept in French fortresses and the Eiffel Tower to warn of approaching planes before they could be seen or heard by people.

I hope this helps answer your question.

Sincerely,

Steven A Williams
biodswill@prodigy.net