How the syrinx got its name

Some of my work on sage-grouse has focused on how they make sound. In particular, we described a previously unknown “two-voice” phenomenon during the male courtship display, which led us to examine the vocal tract anatomy of the sage-grouse. We found that the form and musculature of the syrinx, the avian equivalent of the larynx, was much different than we expected based on what had been described for domestic chickens. In spite of this work on the syrinx, I didn’t know how this organ got its name. Well, now I know! A Golden Gate Audubon Society blog post by Burr Heneman details the greek myth and the wood nymph named Syrinx.

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