Animals produce vocalizations that range in complexity from a single repeated call to
hundreds of unique vocal elements patterned in sequences unfolding over hours …

Highlights•Understanding sound production mechanisms can enhance investigation of
performance.•Performance ranges of temporal and spectral features vary with production …

Human vocal development occurs through two parallel interactive processes that transform
infant cries into more mature vocalizations, such as cooing sounds and babbling. First …

Quantitative biomechanical models can identify control parameters that are used during
movements, and movement parameters that are encoded by premotor neurons. We fit a …

This paper considers state-dependent dynamics that mediate perception in the brain. In
particular, it considers the formal basis of self-organized instabilities that enable perceptual …

The zebra finch brain features a set of clearly defined and hierarchically arranged motor
nuclei that are selectively responsible for producing singing behavior. One of these regions …

Highlights•The source-filter theory for human voice production is applicable to songbirds.•
Biomechanical effects of muscles remain only partially understood.•Multiple mechanisms of …

Songbirds learn and produce complex sequences of vocal gestures. Adult birdsong requires
premotor nucleus HVC, in which projection neurons (PNs) burst sparsely at stereotyped …

To exhibit social intelligence, animals have to recognize whom they are communicating with.
One way to make this inference is to select among internal generative models of each …

Birdsong is a complex behavior that exhibits hierarchical organization. While the
representation of singing behavior and its hierarchical organization has been studied in …