bird’s throat. The membrane covering this pouch is sensitive to the
air coming from the lungs, and its elasticity and complexity of the
membrane are factors that determine the quality of sounds. The
sound quality is also affected by the length of the windpipe, the con-
striction of the voice box, the neck muscles, structure of the beak,
and their respective movements. In short, the complexity of the
birds’ syrinx determines the complexity of the sounds they produce.
Its muscles affect the air flow and consequently, the quality of the
sound. In parrots, budgerigars, and some songbirds, the syrinx has
a greater number of muscles, and its structure is more complex.
The Miracle of Talking Birds
26
The physical structures used in human speech—voice box, vocal chords,
tongue, lips, palate and teeth are completely different from the structures in
birds, and some are completely absent. Even though talking birds do not
possess these structures, they are able to produce words and expressions
used by humans, and with the same intonation.
