Sound Localization in Birds

Abstract

Recent biophysical and physiological studies of the directional properties of the auditory system of birds indicate that a substantial revision of the existing views o f sound localization is necessary. Important findings include a pressure difference sensing system operating at the periphery, resulting from the acoustic coupling of the two ears through the interaural cavity, and the discovery of a neural map of acoustic space in the midbrain. Both these approaches emphasize the need for free-field stimulation in the study o f directional hearing and sound localization, as Brian Lewis and Roger Coles describe in this article. © 1980.