How Does A Turkey Hear?

All birds hear in the same manner that we humans do; it really is not that different.

It is believed that their range of hearing sounds is a bit more acute than that of man.

What that means is that they probably can hear tones that are too low or high for us to hear.

Unlike us humans, turkeys do not have ear lobes (called pinnae) to gather in the sounds. The purpose of an earlobe is to help gather the sound in so it is easier to hear. If you have a dog, watch them as they adjust their ears to hear sounds.

The wild turkey has a hole in the side of its head where the sound enters. That hole is covered by what looks like hairs but are actually feathers to protect the ear from objects.

Once the sound enters the ear canal, it then will vibrate the ear drum. After travelling and vibrating the ear drum, the sound waves enter the inner ear where there are very small hairs and fluid. The wave moves the fluid and then the hairs. Those hairs are connected to nerves, which then interpret what we hear as sound. As a person gets older, they often lose the ability to hear. This is because the hairs die off due to the damage they have had over the years from loud noises. It is very important to wear ear protection for yourself in loud settings or when firing a gun.

A turkey seems to have a greater ability than we do to pinpoint where noise is coming from. It is very important to keep still when a turkey is near. Once you know it is closing in on your location, you can stop making calls because it knows for the most part almost exactly where you are. Much like you know exactly where your mom or dad is when they are calling to you from a different room in the house, the woods are a turkey’s home, and they know them very well.

To further understand how a turkey hears, go outside with one of your friends and ask them to call your name loud enough for you to hear at a fairly good distance. Have them do it both facing you and away from you from the same location and listen to the difference. One will seem farther away than the other one.

Take that same concept and use it to your advantage. If there is a turkey that is gobbling back to you but not coming in, consider facing the other direction of where the turkey is calling. It will give the tom the impression that you are walking away, and he may just come closer to you.

Knowing how a turkey hears can increase your chances of getting even closer to one this spring.