The field of comparative biomechanics examines how form, mechanical properties and
environmental interactions shape the function of biological structures. Biomechanics has …

Wolves howl and dogs bark, both are able to produce variants of either vocalization, but we
see a distinct difference in usage between wild and domesticate. Other domesticates also …

Biologists have long noted that endotherms tend to have larger bodies (Bergmann's rule)
and shorter appendages (Allen's rule) in colder environments. Nevertheless, many …

Birdsong is a longstanding model system for studying evolution and biodiversity. Here, we
collected and analyzed high quality song recordings from seven species in the family …

The avian bill is finely adjusted to foraging ecology and, as part of the vocal tract, it may also
affect sexual signals such as songs. Acoustic theory predicts that larger bills lower the …

Birdsongs are among the most distinctive animal signals. Their evolution is thought to be
shaped simultaneously by habitat structure and by the constraints of morphology. Habitat …

Animal communication plays a crucial role in biology, yet the wide variability in vocalizations
is not fully understood. Previous studies in birds have been limited in taxonomic and …

Ecological opportunity is hypothesized to cause an early burst of species diversification and
trait evolution followed by a slowdown in diversification rates as niches are filled …

The vocal organ of birds, the syrinx, represents a key innovation in the evolutionary history of
vertebrate communication. Three major avian clades: passerines, parrots, and …

The late Quaternary is characterized by the extinction of many terrestrial megafauna, which
included tortoises (Family: Testudinidae). However, limited information is available on how …