Terry Suchma
03-28-2007, 08:10 PM
How Songbirds Change Tune
By Bjorn Carey
Staff Writer
LiveScience
www.livescience.com
posted: 27 March 2006
New research reveals that songbirds add style to their songs using the same mechanism as humans.
In humans, an "ah" sound originating from the vocal cords can be turned into an "ooh" by moving the lips, tongue, and jaw.
Birds mostly communicate using a variety of up and down sweeping tones and crescendos or decrescendos. The most efficient way to produce these sounds, said study leader Tobias Riede, is to change the shape of the vocal tract, which includes the mouth cavity, pharynx cavity, trachea (or
windpipe), and esophagus.
Read more: http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/060327_bird_singing.html
By Bjorn Carey
Staff Writer
LiveScience
www.livescience.com
posted: 27 March 2006
New research reveals that songbirds add style to their songs using the same mechanism as humans.
In humans, an "ah" sound originating from the vocal cords can be turned into an "ooh" by moving the lips, tongue, and jaw.
Birds mostly communicate using a variety of up and down sweeping tones and crescendos or decrescendos. The most efficient way to produce these sounds, said study leader Tobias Riede, is to change the shape of the vocal tract, which includes the mouth cavity, pharynx cavity, trachea (or
windpipe), and esophagus.
Read more: http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/060327_bird_singing.html