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At the base of the tongue, the glottis and the laryngeal mound are located. The larynx of mammals is used for vocalization, but it is the syrinx, located down much further, that is responsible for sound production in birds. The glottis is the opening to the windpipe, or trachea. The choana is located on the roof of the mouth. It is a slit that connects through some passages to the nostrils. One really neat difference that birds have is that the glottis will fit snugly into the choanal slit when the bird closes its mouth, and the bird will then have a closed connection from the nostrils to the windpipe. When a human breathes through the nostrils, the air goes through the back of the throat, which is an open area, to the trachea through the larynx. There are little projections, called papillae, that normally are found at the edges of the choanal slit. Other papillae, pointing towards the back of the throat, may be found in the oropharynx. A second, smaller slit is located behind the choanal slit. This is the opening to the middle ears, the infundibular cleft, of birds, connected by a tube, called thepharyngotympanic tube. Birds with middle ear infections often have a red, swollen cleft. This cleft is important for birds that fly at great altitudes, as it helps equalize pressure in the middle ear. I'll bet you never thought that birds ears might pop when they ascend during flight, like ours do when we humans fly!
http://www.exoticpetvet.net/avian/anatomy.html
 

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