"The term dawn chorus refers to the collective calls of birds at the start of a new day. ... It usually begins anywhere from 90 to 30 minutes before the sun rises. ... Birdsong and calls can be used to communicate with other birds or to defend territory. That's why the dawn chorus is a mix of raucous squawking and chatty screeches alongside melodic songs or loud territorial calls."
Can you name all the birds on the cover of this book? I have listed them below if you are unsure.
My favourite from my own morning bird choir/chorus are the pairs of birds who sing call and response to one another. I like to think of it as a safety check or their love language. Listen to this one the Common Koel.
Can I suggest you open up this web link which contains the top 40 bird songs of the birds found in our Australian backyards and use it when you read this book for the second time. It will really add another dimension to this experience for your young students. I would begin with the kookaburra. There ae also detailed notes at the back of The Great Dawn Choir with photographs of each of the eight birds.
- Australian magpie
- Sulphur-crested cockatoo
- Rainbow lorikeet
- Laughing kookaburra
- Fairy wren
- Australian raven
- Crested pigeon
You can see more books illustrated by Cindy Lane here and you can discover other books by Sarah Speedie here. I also found an Instagram post where we see Cindy Lane painting her fairy wren. A couple of days I talked about this book which is also from CSIRO Publishing.
Huge thanks to CSIRO Publishing for sending a review copy of The Dawn Chorus. I'm building up a terrific collection of books about our Australian birds. The Great Dawn Choir will be released in August.
Try to find this book too after you look at the end papers of The Great Dawn Choir which are filled with feathers. This one is not Australian but it is a truly special book:
Here are some other books about birds and their songs:
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