DOI: 10.5061/dryad.6t1g1jx7q
title: The avian vocal system: 3D reconstruction reveals upper vocal tract elongation during head motion

description: While birds' impressive singing abilities are made possible by the
 syrinx, the upper vocal system (i.e., trachea, larynx, and beak) could
 also play a role in sound filtration. Yet, we still lack a clear
 understanding of the range of elongation this system can undertake,
 especially along the trachea. Here, we used biplanar cineradiography and
 X-ray Reconstruction of Moving Morphology (XROMM) to record 15 species of
 cadaveric birds from 9 different orders while an operator moved the bird’s
 cadaveric heads in different directions. In all studied species, we found
 elongation of the trachea to be correlated with neck extension, and
 significantly greater (ranging from 18% to 48% for the whole motion; and
 from 1.4% to 15.7% for the singing positions) than previously reported on
 a live singing bird (3%). This elongation or compression was not always
 homogeneous along its entire length. Some specimens showed increased
 lengthening in the rostral part and others in both the rostral and caudal
 parts of the vocal tract. The diversity of elongation patterns shows that
 trachea elongation is more complex than previously thought. Since tracheal
 lengthening affects sound frequencies, our results contribute to our
 understanding of the mechanisms involved in complex communication signals,
 one of the amazing traits we share with birds.
description: # The avian vocal system: 3D reconstruction reveals upper vocal tract
 elongation during head motion
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.6t1g1jx7q](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.6t1g1jx7q) ## Description of the data and file structure This Readme file was generated on 2024.10.04 by Fournier M. Dataset: Data associated with the publication Fournier M., Olson R., Van Wassenbergh S. and Provini P. (2024). The avian vocal system: 3D reconstruction reveals upper vocal tract elongation during head motion. Journal of Experimental Biology. ## General information Principal Investigator: Morgane Fournier, Universitat Bern, mo.g.fournier@gmail;COM Associate or Co-investigators: Rachel Olson, University of Akron, [rolson@uakron.edu](mailto:rolson@uakron.edu); Sam Van Wassenbergh, Universiteit Antwerpen, [sam.vanwassenbergh@uantwerpen.be](mailto:sam.vanwassenbergh@uantwerpen.be); Pauline Provini, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, [pauline.provini@mnhn.fr](mailto:pauline.provini@mnhn.fr) Date of data collection (approximate date): 2021-2022 Geographic location of data collection: Anvers University, Belgium / Learning Planet Institute in Paris, France ### Files and variables #### File: Rscripts.zip **Description:**  * Cor_tests: R scripts for correlation tests to be carried out on "4_Cor_tests" data. * Motion_analyses: R scripts for figures. #### File: Extracted\_motion\_data\_from\_Maya.zip **Description:** files extracted from the 3D animation software (Maya) to study the movement of vocal tract locators (.csv). * 0_Row_data: 3D coordinates of each vocal tract locator (10 generated locators from the glottis to the syrinx) during movement, for all frames. * 1_Filtered_data: 3D coordinates of each vocal tract locator filtered, to remove artefacts and unrealistic movements, for each specimen. * 2_for_frontal_view: 3D coordinates of each vocal tract locator for the selected position for front view graphics, for each specimen * 3_for_lateral_view: 3D coordinates of each vocal tract locator for selected position for lateral view graphics, for each specimen. * 4_Cor_tests: files for the correlation tests. "Neck_extension_&_trachea_elongation.ods" contains distance data representing the neck extension and length of the vocal tract during the movement for all the specimens. The file "for_larynx_cor_test" includes distances between the trachea and larynx markers; and distance between the trachea and glottis locator during the movement (a .csv file for each specimen). #### File: Extracted\_from\_XMALab.zip **Description:** Files extracted from the XMALab software to be imported into the 3D animation software to reconstruct the movement. Inside the file for each specimen studied: * Markers: 3D coordinates of each marker implanted during movement (.csv). * RigidBodies: 3D coordinates of each rigid body (head and trunk) during movement (.csv) and the 3D object of these rigid bodies associated (.obj). ## Code/software Software: * XMALab (version 2.0.1; Knörlein et al., 2016) * Maya (version 2020.4; Autodesk) ## Access information Licenses/restrictions placed on the data, or limitations of reuse: CC0 public domain, without restriction on use Recommended citation for the data: Fournier M., Olson R., Van Wassenbergh S. and Provini P. (2024). The avian vocal system: 3D reconstruction reveals upper vocal tract elongation during head motion. Dryad Digital Repository.