Dooling, R.J., Baylis, J.R. and Zoloth, S.R. (1975). Auditory sensitivity of the House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus) and the Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 58, S122.

Using a behavioral audiometric technique previously developed for the parakeet [R.J. Dooling, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 53, 1757–1758 (1973)], absolute auditory thresholds were obtained from several House Finches and Field Sparrows. Both species show a range of maximum sensitivity between 1.0 and 4.0 kHz. Below 2.0 kHz, sensitivity declines at the rate of about 15 dB/octave for the House Finch and about 10 dB/octave for the Field Sparrow. Above 2.0 kHz, sensitivity declines at the rate of about 30 dB/octave for both species. Both audibility curves show the characteristically avian pattern of a narrow range of maximum sensitivity and a high rate of rolloff in sensitivity at higher frequencies. The House Finch and the Field Sparrow are among those avian species in which selective vocal learning has been demonstrated. [Work supported by NSF.]