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Sound localization in barn owls studied with manipulated head-related transfer functions: beyond broadband interaural time and level differences

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Abstract

Interaural time and level differences are important cues for sound localization. We wondered whether the broadband information contained in these two cues could fully explain the behavior of barn owls and responses of midbrain neurons in these birds. To tackle this problem, we developed a novel approach based on head-related transfer functions. These filters contain the complete information present at the eardrum. We selected positions in space characterized by equal broadband interaural time and level differences. Stimulation from such positions provides reduced information to the owl. We show that barn owls are able to discriminate between such positions. In many cases, but not all, the owls may have used spectral components of interaural level differences that exceeded the known behavioral resolution and variability for discrimination. Alternatively, the birds may have used template matching. Likewise, neurons in the optic tectum of the barn owl, a nucleus involved in sensorimotor integration, contained more information than is available in the broadband interaural time and level differences. Thus, these data show that more information is available and used by barn owls for sound localization than carried by broadband interaural time and level differences.

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Acknowledgements

Kira Zeevaert helped with owl training. Lisanne Schulten helped with electrophysiological experiments. Brian Fischer gratefully provided the data and code for the variability analysis. The comments by Lutz Kettler, Thomas Künzel and Jose Pena on an earlier version of the manuscript helped a lot to improve the manuscript. This research was sponsored by a grant of the German science foundation (DFG) to HW (Wa606/26-1) and Hartmut Führ (Fu402/6-1). HW was further supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG) through grant number 368482240/GRK2416.

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Author notes

  1. Roland Ferger

    Present address: Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY, 10461, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Biology II, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 3, 52074, Aachen, Germany

    Patrick Schillberg, Sandra Brill, Petra Nikolay, Roland Ferger & Hermann Wagner

  2. Lehrstuhl A für Mathematik, RWTH Aachen University, Templergraben 55, 52056, Aachen, Germany

    Maike Gerhard & Hartmut Führ

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  1. Patrick Schillberg
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Correspondence to Hermann Wagner.

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Schillberg, P., Brill, S., Nikolay, P. et al. Sound localization in barn owls studied with manipulated head-related transfer functions: beyond broadband interaural time and level differences. J Comp Physiol A 206, 477–498 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-020-01410-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-020-01410-0

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