Bringing Indigenous Perspectives into National Bird Week

During Bird Week, thousands of people from across the country head out into their backyards, local parks or favourite open spaces to take part in the annual Aussie Bird Count.

The Aussie Bird Count is an activity for all-ages that involves observing and counting the birds that live near you – whether that’s in your garden, the local park, a beach or even your town centre. By telling us about the birds you’ve seen within a 20 minute period, you will help BirdLife Australia develop an understanding of local birds whilst getting to know the wildlife on your doorstep! 

We love the idea of using this special week as an opportunity to explore in your classroom, the importance of birds in First Nations culture.

You can do this by exploring local Dreaming stories; do any of them feature birds? Or perhaps you can research which Nations have Australian birds as their totems? Another idea is to learn the local Aboriginal name for some birds commonly found in your local area. You could go on a bird watching exercise and write up profiles on the different birds you find.

Download your FREE Bird Profile Sheet here.

Illustration by Mirii Designs