Advertisement
Journal Articles
Vocal tract function in birdsong production: experimental manipulation of beak movements
W.J. Hoese, J. Podos, N.C. Boetticher, S. Nowicki
Journal of Experimental Biology 2000 203: 1845-1855;

Summary

Kinematic analyses have demonstrated that the extent to which a songbird's beak is open when singing correlates with the acoustic frequencies of the sounds produced, suggesting that beak movements function to modulate the acoustic properties of the vocal tract during song production. If motions of the beak are necessary for normal song production, then disrupting the ability of a bird to perform these movements should alter the acoustic properties of its song. We tested this prediction by comparing songs produced normally by white-throated sparrows and swamp sparrows with songs produced when the beak was temporarily immobilized. We also observed how temporarily loading the beak of canaries with extra mass affected vocal tract movements and song production. Disruption of vocal tract movements resulted in the predicted frequency-dependent amplitude changes in the songs of both white-throated sparrows and swamp sparrows. Canaries with mass added to their beak sang with their beak open more widely than normal and produced notes with greater harmonic content than those without weights. Both manipulations resulted in acoustic changes consistent with a model in which beak motions affect vocal tract resonances, thus supporting the hypothesis that dynamic vocal tract motions and post-production modulation of sound are necessary features of normal song production.

REFERENCES

    1. Fletcher, N. H. and
    2. Tarnopolsky, A.
    (1999). Acoustics of the avian vocal tract. J. Acoust. Soc. Am 105, 35–.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
    1. Goller, F. and
    2. Larsen, O. N.
    (1997). In situ biomechanics of the syrinx and sound generation in pigeons. J. Exp. Biol. 20, 2165–2176.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Goller, F. and
    2. Larsen, O. N.
    (1997b). A new mechanism of sound generation in songbirds. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 94, 14787–.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Larsen, O. N. and
    2. Goller, F.
    (1999). Role of syringeal vibrations in bird vocalizations. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 266, 1609–.
    OpenUrlPubMedWeb of Science
    1. Marler, P.
    (1970). Birdsong and speech development: Could there be parallels?. Am. Sci 58, 669–.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
    1. Marler, P. and
    2. Peters, S.
    (1982). Long-term storage of learned birdsongs prior to production. Anim. Behav 30, 479–.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
    1. Nottebohm, F.
    (1971). Neural lateralization of vocal control in a passerine bird. I. Song. J. Exp. Zool 177, 229–.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
    1. Nowicki, S.
    (1987). Vocal tract resonances in oscine bird sound production: Evidence from birdsongs in a helium atmosphere. Nature 325, 53–.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
    1. Patterson, D. K. and
    2. Pepperberg, I. M.
    (1994). A comparative study of human and parrot phonation: Acoustic and articulatory correlates of vowels. J. Acoust. Soc. Am 96, 634–.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
    1. Podos, J. E.,
    2. Sherer, J. K.,
    3. Peters, S. and
    4. Nowicki, S.
    (1995). Ontogeny of vocal tract movements during song production in song sparrows. Anim. Behav 50, 1287–.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
    1. Suthers, R. A.
    (1997). Peripheral control and lateralization of birdsong. J. Neurobiol 33, 632–.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
    1. Suthers, R. A.,
    2. Goller, F. and
    3. Hartley, R. S.
    (1994). Motor dynamics of song production by mimic thrushes. J. Neurobiol 25, 917–.
    OpenUrlPubMedWeb of Science
    1. Vicario, D. S.
    (1993). A new brain stem pathway for vocal control in the Zebra Finch song system. Neuroreport 4, 983–.
    OpenUrlPubMedWeb of Science
    1. Vicario, D. S.
    (1994). Motor mechanisms relevant to auditory—vocal interactions in songbirds. Brain Behav. Evol 44, 265–.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Westneat, M. W.,
    2. Long, J. H. Jr..,
    3. Hoese, W. and
    4. Nowicki, S.
    (1993). Kinematics of birdsong: functional correlation of cranial movements and acoustic features in sparrows. J. Exp. Biol 182, 147–.
    OpenUrl
    1. Wild, J. M.
    (1993). The avian nucleus retroambigualis: a nucleus for breathing, singing and calling. Brain Res 606, 119–.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
    1. Wild, J. M.
    (1993). Descending projections of the songbird nucleus robustus archistriatalis. J. Comp. Neurol 338, 225–.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
    1. Wild, J. M.
    (1995). Convergence of somatosensory and auditory projections in the avian torus semicircularis, including the central auditory nucleus. J. Comp. Neurol 357, 1–.
Back to top

 Download PDF

Email
Journal Articles
Vocal tract function in birdsong production: experimental manipulation of beak movements
W.J. Hoese, J. Podos, N.C. Boetticher, S. Nowicki
Journal of Experimental Biology 2000 203: 1845-1855;
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
Citation Tools
Alerts

Article navigation

Other journals from The Company of Biologists

Advertisement

Predicting the Future: Species Survival in a Changing World

Read our new special issue exploring the significant role of experimental biology in assessing and predicting the susceptibility or resilience of species to future, human-induced environmental change.

Adam Hardy wins the 2020 Journal of Experimental Biology Outstanding Paper Prize

Congratulations to winner Adam Hardy for his work showing that goby fins are as touch sensitive as primate fingertips. Read Adam’s paper and find out more about the 12 papers nominated for the award.

Stark trade-offs and elegant solutions in arthropod visual systems

Many elegant eye specializations that evolved in response to visual challenges continue to be discovered. A new Review by Meece et al. summarises exciting solutions evolved by insects and other arthropods in response to specific visual challenges.

Head bobbing gives pigeons a sense of perspective

Pigeons might look goofy with their head-bobbing walk, but it turns out that the ungainly head manoeuvre allows the birds to judge distance.