Anatomy of the Syrinx
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Program Content

The syrinx is the y-shaped dual voicebox of songbirds. Song control involves both the intrinsic and extrinsic muscles of the syrinx. Some songbirds can control each branch of the syrinx independently.

Sound Sources

Chris Tenney recorded the Swainson's thrush near Carmel River, and I used his dawn chorus recording from a nearby location.

I highly recommend watching the online multimedia animations of the workings of the syrinx: Suthers Lab Animations of the Syrinx.