About This Project

In order to better understand the production of suboscine song, in the absence of vocal learning, a biometric analysis of select species of suboscines preserved at the American Museum of Natural History will be studied. 3D printed models will be created and phonation will be simulated with specialized equipment. Eventually, this data will be combined with computational methods to model a series of physical and physiological properties of simulated phonation.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

The importance of understanding the physical and physiological properties of phonation in songbirds is a useful concept because of the homologous relationship of songs to human languages. However, songbirds have their own unique physiology and vocal-motor anatomy. This project is in relation to a Fulbright project that I will undertake next year in Argentina, where I will be studying vocal learning in non-learning songbirds. We don't yet know how suboscines fit into their acoustic niches, yet it has been suggested previously that morphology influences the acoustic properties of songs. By obtaining simulated phonation as well as biometric data, we can compare this data to what is know about the typical songs of suboscine species for further analysis.

What is the significance of this project?

The significance of this project is to elucidate the physical and physiological properties of phonation, by using experimental and computational methods to analyze data collected from preserved species of suboscine. This model and data sent will generate an archive for the statistical analysis of the relationship between body measurements, airflow dynamics, and species specific song characteristics. The 3D printed models will allow for different stages and intensities of expiration to be analyzed. This will allow us to better understand from differences in vocal production based on morphology, respiration, and potential source of variation in learning parameters between juvenile and tutors in early life experiences of these songbirds.

What are the goals of the project?

The goal of this project is a peer-reviewed published paper considering the differences in phonation in different species of suboscinces given their body measurements, simulated respiratory parameters, modeled airflow dynamics through an excised larynx chamber. Can this predict features of their songs during phonation?