Notes on the comparative mechanics of hearing. I.A shock-proof ear.
In woodpeckers, the cochlear windows show functional specialization. The small membrane of the round window is attached to a special bony plate of the columella. This arrangement of coupled windows probably increases power dissipation at the fenestral boundaries and so dampens impulsive mechanical disturbances.
D000818:Animals; D001717:Birds / Q000502:physiology*; D001844:Bone Conduction; D003051:Cochlea / Q000502:physiology*; D006309:Hearing / Q000502:physiology*; D012405:Round Window, Ear / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D013045:Species Specificity