Abstract
The pure-tone thresholds of three mallard ducks were determined from 16 Hz to 9 kHz. The purpose was to determine whether the mallard duck hears infrasound, which then may potentially be used for navigation, similar to how it is proposed that pigeons use it for homing. At a level of 60 dB sound pressure level (re 20 μN/m2), their hearing range extends 6.85 octaves from 66 Hz to 7.6 kHz, with a best sensitivity of 12.5 dB at 2 kHz. However, at no frequency, including the lowest tested, were the ducks’ thresholds lower than those of humans. Therefore, unlike pigeons and chickens, but like budgerigars, mallard ducks do not hear infrasound. Thus, the fact that a bird may fly long distances does not necessarily indicate that it hears infrasound.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Able KP (1980) Mechanisms of orientation, navigation, and homing. In: Gauthreaux S Jr (ed) Animal migration, orientation and navigation. Springer, Berlin, pp 283–373
Bedard AJ (1978) Infrasound originating near mountainous regions in Colorado. J Appl Meteorol 17:1014–1022. doi:10.1175/1520-0450
Bellrose FC (1958) Celestial orientation by wild mallards. Bird Band 29:75–90. doi:10.2307/4510680
Corfield JR, Krilow JM, Vande Ligt MN, Iwaniuk AN (2013) A quantitative morphological analysis of the inner ear of galliform birds. Hear Res 304:111–127. doi:10.1016/j.heares.2013.07.004
Crowell SE, Wells-Berlin AM, Carr CE, Olsen GH, Therrien RE, Yannuzzi SE, Ketten DR (2015) A comparison of auditory brainstem responses across diving bird species. J Comp Physiol A 201:803–815. doi:10.1007/s00359-015-1024-5
Crowell SE, Wells-Berlin AM, Therrien RE, Yannuzzi SE, Carr CE (2016) In-air hearing of a diving duck: a comparison of psychoacoustic and auditory brainstem response thresholds. J Acoust Soc Am 139:3001–3008. doi:10.1121/1.4948574
Dooling RJ (2002) Avian hearing and the avoidance of wind turbines. National Renewal Energy Laboratory, US Department of Energy. NREL/TP-500-30844. doi:10.2172/15000693
Emlen ST (1975) Migration: orientation and navigation. In: Farner DS, King JR (eds) Avian biology, vol 5. Academic Press, New York, pp 129–219
Freeman AR, Hare JF (2015) Infrasound in mating displays: a peacock’s tale. Anim Behav 102:241–250. doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.01.029
Griffin DR (1955) Bird navigation. In: Wolfosn A, Davis DE (eds) Recent studies in avian biology. University of Illinois Press, Urbana, pp 154–197
Griffin DR (1969) The physiology and geophysics of bird navigation. Q Rev Biol 44:255–276
Hagstrum JT, Manley GA (2015) Release of surgically deafened homing pigeons indicate that aural cues play a significant role in their navigational system. J Comp Physiol A 201:983–1001. doi:10.1007/s00359-015-1026-3
Heffner HE, Heffner RS (1995) Conditioned avoidance. In: Klump GM, Dooling RJ, Fay RR, Stebbins WC (eds) Methods in comparative psychoacoustics. Birkhäuser, Basel, pp 73–87. doi:10.1007/978-3-0348-7463-2
Heffner HE, Koay G, Hill EM, Heffner RS (2013) Conditioned suppression/avoidance as a method for testing hearing in birds: the domestic pigeon (Columba livia). Behav Res Methods 45:383–392. doi:10.3758/s13428-012-0269-y
Heffner HE, Koay G, Heffner RS (2016) Budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus) do not hear infrasound: the audiogram from 8 Hz to 10 kHz. J Comp Physiol A 202:853–857. doi:10.1007/s00359-016-1125-9
Hill EM, Koay G, Heffner RS, Heffner HE (2014) Audiogram of the chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) from 2 Hz to 9 kHz. J Comp Physiol A 200:863–870. doi:10.1007/s00359-014-0929-8
Hoffman HS (1960) A flexible connector for delivering shock to pigeons. J Exp Anal Behav 3:330. doi:10.1901/jeab.1960.3-330
Jackson LL, Heffner RS, Heffner HE (1999) Free-field audiogram of the Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata). J Acoust Soc Am 106:3017–3023. doi:10.1121/1.428121
Keeton WT (1974) The orientational and navigational basis of homing in birds. In: Lehrman DS, Rosenblatt JS, Hinde RA, Shaw E (eds) Advances in the study of behavior, vol 5. Academic Press, New York, pp 47–132
Kramer G (1950) Weitere analyse der faktoren, welche die zugaktivität des gekäfigten vogels orientieren. Naurwissenschaften 37:377–378. doi:10.1007/BF00626007
Kramer G (1952) Experiments on bird orientation. Ibis 94:265–285. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.1952.tb01817.x
Kramer G (1957) Experiments on bird orientation and their interpretation. Ibis 99:196–227. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.1957.tb01947.x
Kreithen ML, Quine DB (1979) Infrasound detection by the homing pigeon: a behavioral audiogram. J Comp Physiol A 129:1–4. doi:10.1007/BF00679906
Quine DB (1982) Infrasounds: a potential navigational cue for homing pigeons. In: Papi F, Wallraff HG (eds) Avian navigation. Springer, Berlin, pp 373–376. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-68616-0
Quine DB, Kreithen ML (1981) Frequency shift discrimination: can homing pigeons locate infrasounds by Doppler shifts? J Comp Physiol A 141:153–155. doi:10.1007/BF01342661
Stein N, Hoffman HS, Stitt C (1971) Collateral behavior of the pigeon during conditioned suppression of key pecking. J Exp Anal Behav 15:83–93. doi:10.1901/jeab.1971.15-83
Trainer JE (1946) The auditory acuity of certain birds. Dissertation, Cornell University
Yerkes T, Bluhm C (1998) Return rates and reproductive output of captive-reared female mallards. J Wildl Manag 62:192–198. doi:10.2307/3802278
Acknowledgements
I thank Ashley Sanchez and Thais Murua for their assistance in the construction of test equipment and daily care of the animals used in this study. The use of the animals in this study was approved by the University of Nebraska-Kearney Animal Care and Use Committee.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The author declares that they have no conflicts of interest.
Funding
Funding was provided by the University of Nebraska-Kearney Office of Sponsored Programs and Research Development.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hill, E.M. Audiogram of the mallard duck (Anas platyrhynchos) from 16 Hz to 9 kHz. J Comp Physiol A 203, 929–934 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-017-1204-6
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-017-1204-6