Forward and backward auditory masking in the parakeet (Melopsittacus undulatus)

Backward, foward and simultaneous masking of brief tone pulses was examined in four parakeets. The pattern of non-simultaneous masking in parakeets is quite similar to that observed in humans with rates of threshold recovery faster for backward compared to forward masking conditions. These results may have relevance for the design of vocal signals and the coding of species-specific information in parakeets.