Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

The role of nonlinear dynamics of the syrinx in the vocalizations of a songbird

Nature volume 395, pages 67–71 (1998)Cite this article

Abstract

Birdsong is characterized by the modulation of sound properties over a wide range of timescales1. Understanding the mechanisms by which the brain organizes this complex temporal behaviour is a central motivation in the study of the song control and learning system2,3,4,5,6,7,8. Here we present evidence that, in addition to central neural control, a further level of temporal organization is provided by nonlinear oscillatory dynamics that are intrinsic to the avian vocal organ. A detailed temporal and spectral examination of song of the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) reveals a class of rapid song modulations that are consistent with transitions in the dynamical state of the syrinx. Furthermore, in vitro experiments show that the syrinx can produce a sequence of oscillatory states that are both spectrally and temporally complex in response to the slow variation of respiratory or syringeal parameters. As a consequence, simple variations in a small number of neural signals can result in a complex acoustic sequence.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Spectral and temporal characteristics of zebra-finch song.
Figure 2: Patterns of acoustic signals generated in the in vitro syrinx preparation during slow modulation of syringeal and flow parameters.
Figure 3: Stroboscopic observation of in vitro syringeal oscillations.
Figure 4: Results of a simple numerical model of airflow through a compliant constriction.

References

  1. Greenewalt, C. H. Brid Song: Acoustics and Physiology (Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington DC, (1968)).

    Google Scholar 

  2. Nottebohm, F., Stokes, T. M. & Leonard, C. M. Central control of song in the canary, Serinus canarius. J. Comp. Neurol. 165, 457–486 (1976).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Nottebohm, F., Kelley, D. B. & Paton, J. A. Connections of vocal control nuclei in the canary telencephalon. J. Comp. Neurol. 207(1982).

  4. McCasland, J. S. Neuronal control of bird song production. J. Neurosci. 7, 23–39 (1987).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Scharff, C. & Nottebohm, F. Acomparative study of the behavioral deficits following lesions of various parts of the zebra finch song system: implications for vocal learning. J. Neurosci. 11, 2896–2913 (1991).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Konishi, M. Pattern generation in birdsong. Curr. Opin. Neurobiol. 4, 827–831 (1994).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Vu, E., Mazurek, M. E. & Kuo, Y.-C. Identification of a forebrain motor programming network for the learned song of zebra finches. J. Neurosci. 14, 6924–6934 (1994).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Yu, A. & Margoliash, D. Temporal hierarchical control of singing in birds. Science 273, 1871–1875 (1996).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Immelman, K. in Bird Vocalizations (ed. Hinde, R. A.) pp. 61–74 (Cambridge Univ. Press, (1969)).

    Google Scholar 

  10. Price, P. H. Developmental determinants of structure in zebra finch song. J. Comp. Physiol. Psychol. 93, 260–277 (1979).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Fletcher, N. H. Mode locking in non-linearly excited inharmonic musical oscillators. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 64, 1566–1569 (1978).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  12. Jackson, E. A. Perspectives of Nonlinear Dynamics (Cambridge Univ. Press, (1992)).

    Google Scholar 

  13. Hartley, R. S. & Suthers, R. A. Airflow and pressure during canary song: direct evidence for mini-breaths. J. Comp. Phys. A 165, 15–26 (1989).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Goller, F. & Suthers, R. A. Implications for lateralization of bird song from unilateral gating of bilateral motor patterns. Nature 373, 63–66 (1995).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Goller, F. & Larsen, O. N. Anew mechanism of sound generation in songbirds. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 94, 14787–14791 (1997).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Fletcher, N. H. Bird song — a quantitative acoustic model. J. Theor. Biol. 135, 455–481 (1988).

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  17. Ishizaka, K. & Flanagan, J. L. Synthesis of voiced sounds from a two-mass model of the vocal cords. Bell Syst. Tech. J. 51, 1233–1268 (1972).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Bertram, C. D. & Pedley, T. J. Amathematical model of unsteady collapsible tube behaviour. J. Biomech. 15, 39–50 (1982).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Berry, D. A., Herzel, H., Titze, I. R. & Krischer, K. Interpretation of biomechanical simulations of normal and chaotic vocal fold oscillations with empirical eigenfunctions. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 95, 3595–3604 (1994).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Herzel, H., Berry, D. A., Titze, I. R. & Saleh, M. Analysis of vocal disorders with methods from nonlinear dynamics. J. Speech Hear. Res. 37, 1008–1019 (1994).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Thompson, D. J. Spectrum estimation and harmonic analysis. Proc. IEEE 70, 1055–1096 (1982).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank W. Denk, M. Konishi and S. S.-H. Wang for comments on the manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies, 600 Mountain Avenue, Murray Hill, New Jersey, 07974, USA

    Michale S. Fee, Boris Shraiman & Partha P. Mitra

  2. Physics Department, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, 91125, California, USA

    Bijan Pesaran

Authors
  1. Michale S. Fee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Boris Shraiman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Bijan Pesaran
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Partha P. Mitra
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michale S. Fee.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Fee, M., Shraiman, B., Pesaran, B. et al. The role of nonlinear dynamics of the syrinx in the vocalizations of a songbird. Nature 395, 67–71 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1038/25725

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/25725

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing