Sita ter Haar

Sita ter Haar is an Assistant Professor at the Leiden University in the Education and Child Studies department under the Social and Behavioural Sciences school. Her research focuses on the neural and behavioral mechanisms underlying vocal learning and auditory perception in songbirds, particularly zebra finches.

• Current affiliation: Leiden University
• Previous collaborations: Utrecht University, Harvard University

Her studies integrate molecular biology with behavioral neuroscience to explore how sexually dimorphic vocalizations influence brain activity and social behavior. Key findings include differential neuronal activation in response to female versus male calls and behavioral preference for conspecific vocalizations.

Recent publications highlight trends in neuroethology, immediate early gene expression, and auditory processing in songbirds, with specific emphasis on the caudomedial nidopallium and hippocampus as critical brain regions.

Her work on zebra finches and other avian species has been cited extensively, contributing to understanding vocal learning and sensory-motor integration in birdsong.