The origin of origin of novelty is a problem that has fascinated, and also been problematic for evolutionary biologists since the dawn of the field.  For example, Mivart raised the origin of the uniquely mammalian mammary gland as a challenge to Darwin’s ideas.  Another, equally striking novel structure is the syrinx, the distinct organ in the chest of birds which they use to sing (or squawk or honk), instead of the larynx used to produce sound by all other tetrapods. I will present three brief stories, all concerning the evolution of the syrinx from a developmental biology perspective.