title: Effect of head turns on the localization accuracy of sounds in the European starling (Sturnus vulgaris).
abstract: Long signal durations that represent closed-loop conditions permit responses based on the sensory feedback during the presentation of the stimulus, while short stimulus durations that represent open-loop conditions do not allow for directed head turns during signal presentation. A previous study showed that for broadband noise stimuli, the minimum audible angle (MAA) of the European starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is smaller under closed-loop compared to open-loop conditions (Feinkohl & Klump, 2013). Head turns represent a possible strategy to improve sound localization cues under closed-loop conditions. In this study, we analyze the influence of head turns on the starling MAA for broadband noise and 2 kHz tones under closed-loop and open-loop conditions. The starlings made more head turns under closed-loop conditions compared to open-loop conditions. Under closed-loop conditions, their sensitivity for discriminating sound source positions was best if they turned their head once or more per stimulus presentation. We discuss potential cues generated from head turns under closed-loop conditions.
authors.affiliation: Cluster of Excellence Hearing4all, Animal Physiology and Behaviour Group, Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Oldenburg, D-26111 Oldenburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Arne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Feinkohl
authors.forename: Katharina M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Borzeszkowski
authors.forename: Georg M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Klump
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000818:Animals; D003463:Cues; D019416:Head Movements / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D013017:Sound Localization / Q000502:physiology*; D046749:Starlings
keywords: Bird; Closed-loop localization; Head turn; Open-loop localization; Sound localization