Models of Syringeal Mechanisms

There are presently two hypotheses concerning the modulationof avian vocalizations, one holding that resonance phenomenaplay an important role, the other that modulations are sourcegenerated. A wide variety of data tend to question the formerand support the latter. The Greenewalt model is examined in the light of recent findings,many of which support its major contentions and implications.On the other hand, the model seems to have certain weaknessesin describing the interactions of pressure, tension, and membranemovement, hence the linkage of AM and FM. Mathematical expressionsof these relationships are developed. They show that the amplitudeof oscillation will vary with the magnitude of the driving pressureperturbation and with the interaction of the frequencies ofthe perturbation and the resonant frequency of the membrane.This suggests an alternative mechanism for the AM-FM linkage. Caution is advised in the development of generalized models.Although all birds may exploit certain fundamental principles,the possibility remains that a variety of techniques may beemployed. A major difference between the techniques utilizedby oscines and non-oscines is especially probable.