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Budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus) do not hear infrasound: the audiogram from 8 Hz to 10 kHz

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Abstract

The pure-tone thresholds of three budgerigars were determined from 8 Hz to 10 kHz. At a level of 60 dB sound pressure level (re 20 μN/m2), their hearing range extends 6.6 octaves from 77 Hz to 7.6 kHz, with a best sensitivity of 1.1 dB at 3 kHz. Unlike pigeons and chickens, budgerigars do not have better low-frequency hearing than humans. This difference implies anatomical, physiological, and ecological differences between birds that hear infrasound (so far, pigeons and chickens) and those that do not (budgerigars).

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Acknowledgments

We thank Kellie Marchetto for her help with the behavioral testing. The use of animals in this study was approved by the University of Toledo Animal Care and Use Committee.

Funding was provided by The University of Toledo Foundation Sarno Memorial Research Fund.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, 43606, USA

    Henry E. Heffner, Gimseong Koay & Rickye S. Heffner

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  1. Henry E. Heffner
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  2. Gimseong Koay
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  3. Rickye S. Heffner
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Correspondence to Henry E. Heffner.

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Heffner, H.E., Koay, G. & Heffner, R.S. Budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus) do not hear infrasound: the audiogram from 8 Hz to 10 kHz. J Comp Physiol A 202, 853–857 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-016-1125-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-016-1125-9

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