Hearing and vocalizations in a small songbird, the red-cheeked cordon bleu (Uraeginthus bengalus) (L)

Abstract

The auditory sensitivity of a small songbird, the red-cheeked cordon bleu, was measured using the standard methods of animal psychophysics. Hearing in cordon bleus is similar to other small passerines with best hearing in the frequency region from 2 to 4 kHz and sensitivity declining at the rate of about 10 dB/octave below 2 kHz and about 35 dB/octave as frequency increases from 4 to 9 kHz. While critical ratios are similar to other songbirds, the long-term average power spectrum of cordon bleu song falls above the frequency of best hearing in this species.