Lend an Ear – Using Neuroscience to Study Hearing in Songbirds!

Songbirds communicate with one another for many reasons – to find and attract a mate, to defend their territory, or even to band together to ward off a predator. However, human-generated noise, also known as anthropogenic noise, and encroachment into bird habitats continue to rise year after year. Birds are thus faced with the ever-increasing challenge of still communicating with one another amidst these changes. Behavioral evidence shows that birds react differently to stimuli depending on external noise levels, often to their detriment. Unfortunately, we cannot directly ask a bird what it can and cannot hear! Instead, we can use neuroscience and electrophysiological techniques to better understand the capabilities of their auditory nerve, which leads to a greater understanding of how different species may be affected by noise. The naturally occurring mixed-species flocks of Black-capped Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, and White-breasted Nuthatches offer the perfect means to understand how anti-predator behaviors are affected by noise, and how this may be explained by their auditory physiology. Join us to hear Trina Chou discuss findings from studies of these species conducted in Upstate New York during her undergraduate thesis research project!

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