The Saw-whet Project

IMG_0871Northern Saw-whet Owls are the most common owl in North America.  They have an extremely interesting ear morphology that suggests that they are likely to have exquisite hearing.  Yet despite all this, there is virtually nothing known about their auditory processing.  Here we are collaborating with Dr. Glenn Proudfoot to investigate basic aspects of auditory processing (frequency and temporal sensitivity).  We’re currently working on a novel device to study directional sensitivity.