Birdsong sounds sweeter because throats filter out messy overtones

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Northern cardinals actively change the volume and shapes of their throats as they sing. Photo by: David Bricker
Northern cardinals actively change the volume and shapes of their throats as they sing. Photo by: David Bricker

The purity of birdsong is owed in large part to rapid, controlled changes in the shape of the birds' upper vocal tracts, according to a new study of Northern Cardinals by scientists at Indiana University Bloomington, Purdue University and Australian National University. Their report appears in today's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.


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