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how do parrots talk without vocal cords?

Do Parrots Have Vocal Cords? (A Bird’s Voice Box Is The Syrinx!)

Last Updated on January 28, 2024 by Carrie Stephens

No, parrots don’t have vocal cords. They have a syrinx, which is a vocal organ at the base of the chest. Birds also have a larynx, but it’s only used for breathing and eating food.

The syrinx enables parrots to produce vocalizations (squawking, chirping, screaming, etc.), mimic sounds from household items (doorbells, microwaves, kettles, etc.), and mimic human words.

Parrots vocalize by altering the shape and depth of the syrinx, using their tongues and beaks to modify the sound frequencies. Unlike humans, parrots never strain or lose their voices.

Function of The Syrinx in Birds

Parrots have a syrinx (lower larynx) rather than vocal cords like humans.

According to the Journal of Anatomy, the syrinx is the vocal organ (voice box) of birds, enabling them to produce different vocalizations. The syrinx has two functions:

  • Controls airflow.
  • Labial tension.

The syrinx is located deep in birds’ chests. It’s a muscular, fluid-filled cavity at the base of the trachea, where the windpipe splits enter the lungs. The syrinx comprises two separate parts.

Parrots can change the shape of each area and move the valves independently to create sound. They push air through the syrinx, and the muscles and valves vibrate to make the right sounds.

Syrinx structures vary between species, so not all parrots can produce sounds to the same level. Larger parrots are usually better talkers, but there are exceptions, like budgies.

To be accepted, all parrots must be able to make sounds. Making sounds enables parrots to imitate and learn each other’s contact calls, signifying they’re part of the same flock.

Captive parrots learn and repeat human sounds because they want to be part of their owner’s flock. They enjoy sounds and noises that elicit a human response, like whistling kettles.

why can parrots talk and not other animals?

Not All Birds Have A Syrinx

Most bird species have a syrinx, but not New World vultures (Cathartidae). Field Museum stated that no animals have a syrinx other than birds (Aves).

The birds with a syrinx have significant differences in size and structure.

The song sparrow has several pairs of muscles that control the organ, giving them a more extensive vocalization range than other birds. In sparrows, the syrinx is 8 mm in diameter.

Interestingly, birds have a larynx, which is how humans produce sound. Unlike the human larynx, the avian larynx is solely used for breathing and food consumption.

How Parrots Talk Without Vocal Cords

Parrots lack lips, teeth, and vocal cords – three body parts that enable humans to speak clearly.

Parrots mimic the sounds and words they hear. Then, human brains fill in the gaps and associate the sounds with familiar words, making it appear that parrots understand the context.  

Parrots can talk by altering the shape and depth of the syrinx. They can control the muscles precisely and make various sounds to express their feelings.

Similarly, they mimic noises from humans and other species by manipulating each part of the syrinx.

Parrots’ tongues affect their ability to talk. Current Biology has discovered that parrots use their tongues to control and change sound frequencies, a process called lingual articulation.

They also shape the sound with their beaks. Parrots have hook-billed beaks, which may be why they mimic more accurately than birds with flatter beaks.

Despite lacking vocal cords, parrots have verbal imitation abilities other than mimicking words. They copy each other’s sounds and other animal calls.

As mentioned, this is how they fit in with their flocks, as it’s essential to survival in the wild. Parrots can copy electronic beeps, car sirens, barks, and meows.

Behavior affects how well parrots can talk. They’ll speak more accurately if they learn to associate words and sounds with specific actions. They may even gain a contextual awareness of some words.

For example, saying hello when you enter the room will eventually be interpreted as a greeting.

Why Parrots Can Talk And Not Other Animals

The ability to speak is unique to humans, parrots, and songbirds. Even primates (at least 96% DNA matched to humans) can’t compete with a parrot’s talking abilities.

Their ability to speak is due to other factors, including:

  • Parrots have a well-developed medial spiriform nucleus, which explains their high intelligence.
  • Other animals, like dogs, have underdeveloped pontine nuclei. These are involved in motor activity.

Parrots have a song system, which makes up a small part of their brains.

This section of the brain is essential for sound replication. Then, there’s the outer shell, which scientists theorize makes parrots so good at mimicking different sounds.

what is the function of the syrinx in birds?

PLOS One found that parrots dance by copying their owners’ movements. This research goes beyond dancing because it shows that parrots can also:

  • Recognize a human’s body parts and associate them with their own.
  • Map out motor patterns.
  • Replicate dancing patterns with their limbs.

The cortex provides sensory input. Parrots combine this with voluntary motor function, which the cerebellum handles.

Parrots Can’t Lose Their Voice

Parrots don’t have vocal cords, so you may wonder if they can lose their voice.

Technically, parrots don’t have voices to lose. Parrots don’t have vocal cords, so it’s physically impossible for them to strain and lose their voices.

It’s more likely that a parrot would stop speaking due to health or environmental conditions:

  • Sadness.
  • Fear.
  • Stress.

Various diseases affect the syrinx, throat, lungs, and air sacs, including:

Parrots can mimic what they hear while controlling their syrinx sufficiently to produce sounds humans recognize. Their words aren’t always vocalized with the same precision as ours, but they’re close.