Can a robin hear worms in the Ground?
A bird, of course, has no outer ears on his streamlined head. The job of hearing is done by the inner ears which are very complex organs buried within the bones of the skull. Our hearing also is done by inner ears. Though a bird has no outer ears as we do, he has a very sharp sense of hearing.
The robin is usually the last of the migrating birds to leave his northern nesting grounds and the first to return. The first robin, we say, is a reminder that spring is just around the corner. In California and some of the Southern states, Mr. Robin and his family are year¬round residents. They are taken for granted and may be less noticeable. He attracts more attention when he returns to the central and northern states because he has been missed during the winter months.
People run to the window to watch the first robin hopping over the lawn. From time to time he stops and cocks his head as though he were listening to some activity in the ground. If we watch long enough, we are sure to see him pounce on a worm and start a tug of his war. This makes us suspect that he cocked/head to listen for the quiet rustling of a worm in the soil. But this may not be so at all,
Most birds have a very dim sense of smell but they are gifted with keen vision and sharp hearing. Though the robin hears very well, he depends more upon his bright eyes to tell him what is going on in the world around him. His two eyes, however, are placed one on each side of his head. Your eyes are both in the front of your head and you can focus them together on one object. A robin's eyes are placed to give him two separate views, one from each side of his head.
When he wants to look at something closely, ha cocks his head to focus one eye upon it. The hungry fellow is vary interested in insects, worms and other scraps of live meat which are likely to be found hiding in the grass or the ground. From time to time, he cocks his head to get a close look for a possible dinner. True, he may also hear the faint rustling of a worm or a cricket but for the most part he depends upon his bright eyes to find his food. And, for a close look, he can use only one eye at a tame.
Though birds have good hearing, they do not hear the same range of sounds that we do. A sparrow does not hear you if you talk softly. An owl is deaf to the drumming beat of the grouse. But the sparrow flies off when he catches a glimpse of a moving hand and the owl can spot the small shadow of a scurrying mouse among the many shadows of twilight.