national aviary >> the dance of love

SING OUT LOUD
One of the ways birds communicate is by singing. What are birds telling each other when they sing?

VIRTUAL INCUBATOR
No, you don't have to sit on it.
Download your own virtual incubator to take care of an egg up to hatching. If your chick survives, you'll see a video of it hatching.

ON THE EGG
Eggs can't defend themselves against predators or cold weather. Birds have to protect their eggs. Discover some of the amazing ways that birds keep keep their offspring safe.

Find your partner– the one who is doing the same courtship dance as you.

printouts of this pdf (400k)

SET-UP: Download the pdf files that show the dance steps for six different birds.

Print out copies of the pdf in multiples of two (you need to make pairs of each bird to ensure everyone has a partner.

Cut up the printouts as marked, fold them and put them in a hat (or other container). If your group is an odd number, let the teacher participate.

CHOOSING: Let each student come and take a piece of paper. This will say what kind of bird to mimic, and include the dance steps.

DANCE!: When everyone is ready, begin doing courtship dances by following the printed instructions. While dancing, look for someone else doing the same dance as you. YOU CANNOT TELL ANYONE WHAT KIND OF BIRD YOU ARE. When you think you've found a partner, go to them and dance even better! When you feel certain you've found your partner, stop dancing, and wait for others to finish.

When everyone is done, compare your printout to your partner's. Did everyone make a good match?

If you've ever seen a pigeon bowing and turning around like crazy, and wondered what he was up to, here's your answer. His courtship dance is one of six here that show how the male bird tries to attract a mate. This is where you can learn the steps to the pigeon's – or the albatross–' dance of love.

Most females get the pleasure of choosing which male will be her mate. Everything a male bird does to attract a mate helps him to pass his genes on to the next generation. The female chooses because she usually has to do most of the work of rearing the young.