Have you ever wondered how birds sing their elaborate songs without lips? Or how parrots can seem to speak our language? Thanks to a very special feat of evolution, they have a unique ability (yeah, even more so than flying!) all thanks to something known as the syrinx! Because of this extraordinary voice box, they’re able to hit some serious notes that any opera singer would be jealous of, all with a little neck dance.
If you’re looking for ways to make every day a little more exciting, you’ll never have to look further than hearing a bird singing after this! (Seriously, some can even sing two notes at once! Can you imagine?!)
Source: Gregory “Slobirdr” Smith // Flickr
Find a quiet place outside in the spring and summer and you’re sure to notice the air is full of song. All written by different artists, these chirps of all lengths and volumes echo back and forth to each other in a canopy chorus, telling a story.
The chickadees deliver more “dee-dees” in their song when they’re feeling under threat, cardinal lovers sing their beautiful whooping song together, as the male sparrows deliver their precise performance, and crows chat together off in the distance.
It’s a magnificent experience as is, but just waitāit’s about to be way cooler.
Vox takes us into the special anatomy of birds to discover why we need our lips, tongue, and mouth muscles to create sounds, when birds can make do just fine without them!
This page from Bird Academy is an amazing resource to learn more about bird songs and the diversity and skill of these wonderful creatures across species. Enjoy hearing a few of their beautiful trills, discover the mastery and complexity of the songs with comparisons and slowing their voices down, and see how their songs look visually by clicking here!
If you’d like to discover more of the world with Vox, I highly suggest heading over to their YouTube channel and subscribing!
Whew! Just one more way the world gets even more awesome when you follow your curiosity.
Every time we learn a little more about the inner workings of the world around us, the simplest moments become exciting. Whether you’re sweeping up dust bunnies from under your bed, taking your dog for a walk, or buttoning up your shirt, there’s a story waiting to be discovered in everything!
Here are a few others that’ll leave you geared up to have an amazing adventure in nature!
Become an Instant Backyard Scientist with iNaturalist!Ā
What if you could go on a safari and get up close and personal with hundreds of plants animals, no plane ticket, no fancy guide, and no money required? Now, all of us can experience our own backyards with a little more wonder thanks to this amazing app!
Read Article Watch Video Listen to PodcastMysterious Orchids of the Everglades: Saving a Flowering Swamp Ghost
Deep in the swamps of Florida, real ghosts float in the air with their tendrils wrapped around the trees. These mysterious flowers have been stumping biologists for centuries, but this team of scientists and photographers has braved the alligators, snakes, and endless mosquitos to solve this puzzle once and for all! Let’s join them.
Read Article Watch Video Listen to PodcastWhere Do Birds Really Go When They Migrate?
If you’ve ever watched a mother bird raise a nest of babies, you’ve probably wondered where they all go come fall. One feather has now answered our curiosity!
Read Article Watch Video Listen to PodcastWant to hear a great song about birds?
Check this one out from Bill Nye the Science Guy and L.L. Bloo J. (ha!) and be prepared to have this little ditty stuck in your head for days.
āAs always, my friends, stay open to new possibilities!
- Sam
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Notes:
- Vox. āWhy Parrots Can Talk like Humans.ā YouTube, 4 Mar. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBGw7uXc0eo&feature=youtu.be. Accessed 14 July 2020. ↩
- MrBuemi1. āBill Nye the Science Guy- Bird Song.ā YouTube, 31 Jan. 2011, https://youtu.be/7MusgV9mc1s. Accessed 17 July 2020. ↩
