Birding/MOCKING BIRDS

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Expert: - 3/19/2006


Question
MY MOTHER SAW A MOCKING BIRD ON HER PORCH TODAY, AND SHE SAYS  WHEN IT SANG ,  IT'S THROAT BULDGED OUT AND IT HAD A HOLE IN IT. IS THIS BIRD INJURED, OR IS THAT THE WAY IT SINGS?  

Answer
You probably have seen an opera singer belt out some heavy songs? Notice the way the Adam's apple vibrates? That is the larynx, our voice box, that vibrates when we talk or sing. When birds sing, they have a voice box too, called the syrinx. It's even bigger and more muscular than ours, relatively, and when the bird sings the skin around the throat tightens and the feathers stand up. The very thin skin underneath is almost transparent it is so thin and you see the darkness of the throat, making it appear as if there were a hole in the throat. This is perfectly normal - the Mockingbird is not injured. For more information on wild birds, see www.ornithology.com. Roger Lederer

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Roger Lederer

Expertise

Any and all about WILD birds - the science of ornithology. Information about birdwatching, ecology, conservation, migration, behavior, banding, rehabilitation, feeding, songs, binoculars, identification, and careers in ornithology. No questions about pet or caged birds, please.

Experience

Have a PhD and over forty years as a professional ornithologist - research, teaching, author, speaker, webmaster of Ornithology.com . Have written thirty scientific papers, three bird field guides, a textbook in ecology and two recent books entitled "Amazing Birds" and "Birds of New England". Have traveled to over 90 countries watching birds.

Education/Credentials
PhD in Zoology/Ornithology; Emeritus Professor of Biological Sciences; former Dean of the College of Natural Sciences at California State University, Chico

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