Abstract
The auditory sensitivity of the field sparrow (Spizella pusilla) was measured by behavioral audiometry. Two male birds were trained by instrumental avoidance conditioning to respond to pure tones. Thresholds for pure tones between .25 kHz and 12.0 kHz were measured over a number of days. Auditory sensitivity is greatest between 1.0 and 4.0 kHz and declines about 12 dB/octave from 2.0 kHz down to .25 kHz and from 2.0 kHz up to 8.0 kHz. Above 8 kHz, auditory sensitivity falls off steeply at the rate of about 70 dB/octave. The range of auditory sensitivity of the field sparrow compares favorably with the range of frequencies found in the vocal repertoire of this species.
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Zoloth, S. R., Miller, R., & Dooling, R. J. A minicomputer system for the synthesis of animal vocalizations. Unpublished manuscript, 1978.
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We thank W. Searcy and P. Price for valuable comments. This study was supported by NIMH Grant MH14651.
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Dooling, R.J., Peters, S.S. & Searcy, M.H. Auditory sensitivity and vocalizations of the field sparrow (Spizella pusilla). Bull. Psychon. Soc. 14, 106–108 (1979). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03329413
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03329413