ArticleJournal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology2018
Frequency sensitivity in Northern saw-whet owls (Aegolius acadicus).
Article in Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed.
- Can you hear me? House sparrow auditory processing differs across an urbanization gradient.Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology · 2026Article
- Sensory interference shapes habitat suitability for an acoustically specialized predator.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Revisiting the Chicken Auditory Brainstem Response: Frequency Specificity, Threshold Sensitivity, and Cross Species Comparison.Neuroscience insights · 2024Article
- Evaluation of Auditory Brainstem Response in Chicken Hatchlings.Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE · 2022Article
- Evolution and Ecology of Silent Flight in Owls and Other Flying Vertebrates.Integrative organismal biology (Oxford, England) · 2020Review
- Auditory performance in bald eagles and red-tailed hawks: a comparative study of hearing in diurnal raptors.Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology · 2019Article
- The paradox of hearing at the lek: auditory sensitivity increases after breeding in female gray treefrogs (Hyla chrysoscelis).Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology · 2019Article
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
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Abstract
Northern saw-whet owls (Aegolius acadicus) are known for their unique asymmetrical ear structure and ability to localize prey acoustically, yet few attempts have been made to explore the auditory capabilities of this species. In this study, we evoked auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) with tonebursts to assess three main hypotheses regarding the evolution of auditory sensitivity: sender-receiver matching, ecological constraints, and phylogenetic/morphological constraints. We found that ABR amplitude increased with increasing stimulus level, which is consistent with results in other avian species. ABR amplitudes, latencies, and thresholds indicate that the hearing range of Northern saw-whet owls extends from 0.7 to 8.6 kHz, with an extended frequency range of best sensitivity between 1.6 and 7.1 kHz. Sensitivity fell off rapidly above and below these frequencies. The average audiogram was structurally similar to those found in other species of owls, suggesting that phylogeny or morphology may be constraining the frequency range of auditory sensitivity. However, ABR thresholds were 10-25 dB lower than those of Eastern screech-owls (Megascops asio), with thresholds below 0 dB SPL in some individuals. The lowest thresholds were at frequencies not found in the vocalizations of Northern saw-whet owls, suggesting ecological constraints rather than conspecific vocalizations are driving absolute sensitivity.
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