Professional breeders and ordinary parrot lovers will probably want to learn more about their pets. An experienced specialist should be aware of the anatomy and physiology of birds in order to avoid problems and notice that something is wrong. But those who have just recently acquired an exotic pet often have the most unexpected questions. For example, do you know where the ears of a parrot are?
Photos of the hearing organs of birds and their detailed description can be found in our article. Let's thoroughly understand the issue.
Does the parrot have ears?
Or maybe there are none at all? Let's reason. As you know, parrots are great copycats. An intelligent bird can reproduce not only human speech, but also many other sounds from everyday life: the sound of household appliances and gadgets, the meow of a cat and even the voices of other birds.
Obviously, this would be impossible if the parrot had no ears and good hearing. Absolutely, he's not deaf!
But looking at the bird, looking at it from all sides, it is difficult to understand where the parrot has ears. Its head is covered with feathers, the length and color of which varies depending on the species. But, it would seem, there is nothing that looks like ears on the head of a parrot ...
Where are the hearing organs located?
Do not grab the pet and push the feathers on its head, trying to find the ears. You will not find them there. The outer ear of the parrot is completely different from the human, canine or feline. Its small ear is a neat hole. The entrance to the auditory tube is small even in large species. The ear is protected by feathers from external influences.
The length of the feathers determines how well the ear is visible to the naked eye. For example, where are the ears of budgies, it is not difficult to determine. Take a closer look at your pet: for sure you will notice small dark spots on the sides of the head. But to determine where the ears of the cockatiel parrot is, it is more difficult, because the feathers of this bird are slightly longer. Yes, and rosy cheeks can be confusing. The ears of these birds are located just in red spots and are hidden by feathers.
Structural features
While the bird is completely young, it is easier to examine its hearing organs. In chicks that have not yet fledged, they are clearly visible.
The parrot does not have an outer ear, only the middle and the inner one. The middle ear is a cavity filled with air. It contains muscles, ligaments, the eardrum, a round window and a rod-shaped bone. This bone is the only one in the organ of hearing. It is mobile, with its help vibrations of a tympanic membrane are deduced.
These vibrations cause vibrations in the inner ear filled with fluid. Further, the impulse is transmitted to the brain, where the interpretation of sounds takes place.
The inner ear is very complicated. Inside it are labyrinths that are responsible for balance and orientation. This organ transmits to the brain information about the position of the bird in space, altitude and flight path, distance to other birds.
How does the parrot hear
There are leathery folds near the place where the parrot’s ear is. Feathers on them play the role of peculiar locators. If necessary, the bird can move these folds, thereby adjusting the volume of the sounds produced.
If a parrot is scared, it is as if ruffled. Feathers rise, move away from the auditory tube. The bird perfectly hears even very quiet and distant sounds. And if the parrot wants to sleep, moving the folds, it can muffle extraneous noise by pressing feathers to its head more tightly.
Parrot hearing is very good. Frequency range: from 120 Hz to 15 kHz.
Hearing diseases
If you notice that in the place where the parrots have ears, there are dirty, fallen or wet feathers, the bird should be immediately shown to the doctor. The fact that the pet constantly scratches the tank of the head should be alert.
If the bird is provided with good conditions, and the owner treats it with love and care, you should not be afraid of health problems. Parrots have fairly strong immunity, and there are practically no specific diseases. Ear problems usually occur if water gets into the auditory tube. This should be avoided in every way: if your pet loves water procedures, carefully watch that the place where the parrot's ears are not immersed in water and not wet at all.
Sometimes birds can damage their ears in a fight or during games. In such cases, it is also worth consulting with a veterinarian.
Interesting Facts
To consolidate the material, we consider several interesting facts related to the hearing organs of a parrot.
- The ear is not only the organ of hearing. The vestibular apparatus is located in the middle ear. If a parrot is injured or sick, it may be poorly orientated. Not only can he fly, but even keep his balance on the perch can be difficult.
- In the UK lives Ted Richards, who loves a pet so much that he decided with the help of a tattoo master to become like him. But the feather pattern was not enough for him - and he removed his own auricles. Watching his own pet and knowing where the parrot has ears, Richards decided that such a step was necessary to achieve similarity. The media called him Parrot Man.
- These birds begin to hear immediately after birth and retain excellent hearing until the end of life.
- Parrots are social birds. In the wild, they live in large packs. Ears play a very important role in communicating with relatives. Parrots warn each other, seeing danger. No less loud shout they convene relatives, seeing that there is an opportunity to eat something. These birds communicate in the mating season: without good hearing, parrots could not find partners for creating a family.