Who is Calling?

SUMMARY:	Through a hands-on experiment learn more about bird calls and how birds use the calls to communicate. This lesson is part of a series. Select this text to learn more about the series and how to extend its usefulness.
OBJECTIVES:	Students will learn about bird communication.
SUBJECTS:	Science and Music
GRADES:	3 - 5
LENGTH:	1 - 2 hours

Background: Bird calls are usually short and to the point. The same bird can have several very different sounds to express different things. A warning call can sound very different from a friendly call to a fellow bird of the same species. Through these calls birds can distinguish who is friendly and who is a threat.

Materials: 8-10 empty small glass Snapple bottles of the same size, water, and construction paper.

How to:

1. Pair up the soda bottles. Fill each pair with water to the same level but different from the other pairs. Cover the outsides with construction paper so the water levels are not visible. Each pair of bottles represents one species of bird.
2. Have the students blow over the top of the bottle to make different bird calls.
3. Mix the bottles up and have the students try to find the pairs and by doing this they are matching each bird to its own species.

If your students cannot blow over the top of the bottles to make bird whistles, an alternative is to fill the bottles (or film canisters) with different objects that will make different sounds when you shake them, such as beans, water, sugar, or marbles. Have the students see if they can match the sounds.