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The syrinx (from the Greek word "σύριγξ" for pan pipes) is the vocal organ of birds. Located at the base of a bird's trachea, it produces sounds without the vocal folds of mammals. [1] The sound is produced by vibrations of some or all of the membrana tympaniformis (the walls of the syrinx) and the pessulus, caused by air flowing through ...
Disrupting the birds' light and dark cycles can impact circadian rhythms, eventually harming sleep patterns. Biologist Thomas Raap conducted a study which suggested that exposure to ALAN affected the sleep behavior of Eurasian blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus). [7] In this study, birds woke up earlier due to ALAN factors such as seasonal timekeeping.
Lateral dominance of the hypoglossal nerve conveying messages from the brain to the syrinx was first observed in the 1970s. [3] [4] This lateral dominance was determined in a breed of canary, the waterschlager canary, bred for its long and complex song, by lesioning the ipsilateral tracheosyringeal branch of the hypoglossal nerve, disabling either the left or right syrinx.
Vocal Bird anatomy: Birds produce sounds through the air that passes through the Syrinx, which is shown close up in the bottom right. In order for birds to produce sound, they use an organ located above the lungs called the syrinx , which is composed of tracheal rings, syringeal muscles, Tympaniform membrane, and internal bony structures that ...
Bird vocalization includes both bird calls and bird songs. In non-technical use, bird songs (often simply birdsong ) are the bird sounds that are melodious to the human ear. In ornithology and birding , songs (relatively complex vocalizations) are distinguished by function from calls (relatively simple vocalizations).
Bird calls and songs, which are produced in the syrinx, are the major means by which birds communicate with sound. This communication can be very complex; some species can operate the two sides of the syrinx independently, allowing the simultaneous production of two different songs. [ 105 ]
The Tyranni have a simpler syrinx musculature, and while their vocalizations are often just as complex and striking as those of songbirds, they are altogether more mechanical sounding. There is a third perching bird lineage, the Acanthisitti of New Zealand, of which only two species remain alive today. [3]
While in unihemispheric slow-wave sleep, birds will sleep with one open eye towards the direction from which predators are more likely to approach. When birds do this in a flock, it's called the "group edge effect". [2] The mallard is one bird that has been used experimentally to illustrate the "group edge effect". Birds positioned at the edge ...