Uploaded July 2023 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
A Eurasian Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) singing its powerful trilling song. Like many birds, Wrens have an organ called the syrinx which is used to produce sounds. While we use about 2% of the air passing over our vocal chords to make sounds, nearly 100% of the air that goes through the syrinx is used to produce songs. Having a syrinx means that relatively small birds, like the Wren, can produce very loud songs. The syrinx also lets birds create two different sounds at the same time which is why many bird songs and calls have such a complex structure.
A Eurasian Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) singing its powerful trilling song. Like many birds, Wrens have an organ called the syrinx which is used to produce sounds. While we use about 2% of the air passing over our vocal chords to make sounds, nearly 100% of the air that goes through the syrinx is used to produce songs. Having a syrinx means that relatively small birds, like the Wren, can produce very loud songs. The syrinx also lets birds create two different sounds at the same time which is why many bird songs and calls have such a complex structure.
