The reason the bird sounds is good even without an external ear

Birds have the ability to hear noises in their habitats without using external ears like mammals, thanks to a special head structure.

Birds have the ability to hear sounds without external ears.(Photo: Hans A.Schnyder et al PLoS ONE)

According to the German team, the birds know to zone out to find the location of the sound by using the entire head as a giant outer ear.

In the study, the scientists examined the eardrums of crows, ducks, chickens, and measured volume levels that acted on the eardrum at different angles. They found that the sound acting on the eardrum on the left and right side of the head was not the same, depending on the direction of the sound.

In fact, the bird's brain handles the difference in sound frequencies in the ears to determine the location of the sound (above, below or on par with them).

"This system has a high degree of accuracy. At the highest level, birds can recognize sound compared to a horizontal angle from -30 ° to + 30 °" , the Huffington Post quoted Hans A. Schnyder, team leader. Research at Technische Universitat Munchen, said.

In mammals, the outer ear helps them locate the sound, focus and clarify the sound before it moves into the middle ear and ear canal.