Songs, Rhymes, and Poems
About Birds & Parrots
Everybody sing along...... The list of songs, rhymes, and poems are all somehow related to birds. They come from various sources and in most cases the original author is unknown. I would love to give credit by somehow linking to other works by each of the authors but I need your help. If you know who the author is for any of these bird related songs, rhymes or poems, please let me know. You can have any information on these songs, rhymes, or poems, you can email me using this Email Link Also, if you have any of your own original work and would like it included here, you can email me using this Email Link
You can use the quicklinks below to jump to the corresponding song, rhyme or poem.
- Morning Has Broken
- On a Bird Singing in Its Sleep
- Wild Thing
- Jug Jug Jug
- The Pelican
- Oh that I had Wings
- Sing On, Blithe Bird
- The Eagle and the Mole
- Lazy Cuckoo
- Wise Old Owl
- Tap Tap Tap
- Elizabeth, Elspeth, Betsey, and Bess
- Ten White Seagulls
- Mary Had A Pretty Bird
- To the Sunny South
- Once I Saw a Little Bird
- Hickety Pickety, My Black Hen
- Feed the Birds
- The North Wind Doth Blow
- Five Little Sparrows
- Two Little Blackbirds
- Five Little Blue Birds
- The Boy in the Barn
- Five Little Chickadees
- Two Little Black Birds
- Bird Feeder
- Feathered Valentine
- Little Bird
- The Cuckoo's a Fine Bird
- Little Bird
- Little Birds
- Little Birds
- Preening
- Stretch, Stretch
- Two Little Birds
- White Swan
- Goosey, Goosey, Gander
- Cock-a-doodle-do
- Sing a Song of Sixpence
- Robin Redbreast
- Mockingbird
- Cock Crow
- Fly away Peter fly away Paul
- Birds
- Over in the Meadow
Morning has broken like the first morning,
blackbird has spoken like the first bird.
Praise for the singing! Praise for the morning!
Praise for them, springing, fresh from the Word!
-Eleanor Farjeon
A bird half wakened in the lunar noon
Sang halfway through its little inborn tune.
-Robert Frost
I never saw a wild thing
Sorry for itself.
A small bird will drop frozen dead
From a bough
Without ever having felt sorry for itself.
-D. H. Lawrence
What bird so sings, yet so does wail?
O, 'tis the ravished nightingale!
"Jug, jug, jug, jug, tereu," she cries,
And still her woes at midnight rise.
Brave prick-song! who is't now we hear?
None but the lark so shrill and clear;
-John Lyly
A wonderful bird is the pelican,
His bill will hold more than his belican.
He can take in his beak
Enough food for a week,
But I'm darned if I know how the helican.
-Dixon Merritt
The bird let loose in Eastern skies,
Returning fondly home,
Ne'er stoops to earth her wing, nor flies
Where idle warblers roam;
But high she shoots through air and light,
Above all low delay,
Where nothing earthly bounds her flight,
Nor shadow dims her way.
-Thomas Moore
Sing on, sing on, blithe bird! and fill my heart with summer gladness;
It has been aching many a day with measures full of sadness!
-William Motherwell
Avoid the reeking herd,
Shun the polluted flock,
Live like that stoic bird,
The eagle of the rock.
-Elinor Wylie
The cuckoo is a lazy bird,
She never builds a nest,
She makes herself busy
By singing to the rest.
- Unknown "Oxford Nursery Rhyme"
A wise old owl lived in an oak
The more he saw the less he spoke
The less he spoke the more he heard.
Why can't we all be like that wise old bird?
Tap, tap, tap goes the woodpecker
As he pecks a hole in a tree.
He is making a house with a window
To peep at you and me.
Elizabeth, Elspeth, Betsey, and Bess,
They all went together,
To seek a bird's nest;
They found a bird's nest,
With five eggs in,
They all took one,
And left four in.
Ten white seagulls, just see them fly.
Over the mountain, and up to the sky.
Ten white seagulls crying aloud.
Spread out their wings, and fly over a cloud.
Ten white seagulls on a bright day.
Pretty white seagulls, fly, fly away!
Mary had a pretty bird,
Feathers bright and yellow,
Slender legs, upon my word
He was a pretty fellow.
The sweetest notes he always sung,
Which much delighted Mary,
And often where the cage was hung,
She stood to hear Canary.
Four little birds all huddled together.
The first one said, "My, what cold weather."
The second one said, "The sky is getting grey."
The third one said, "Let's fly away."
The fourth little bird never opened his mouth.
So they all flew away to the sunny south.
Once I saw a little bird
Come hop, hop, hop;
So I cried: "Little bird,
Will you stop, stop, stop?"
And was going to the window
To say: "How do you do?"
But he shook his little tail
And far away he flew.
Hickety Pickety, My Black Hen
She Lays Eggs for Gentlemen
Gentlemen Come Everyday
To See the Eggs
My Hen Doth Lay
(to the tune of Row Row)
Feed, feed, feed the birds
In the wintertime
When the days are dark and cold
Food is hard to find
Feed, feed, feed the birds
Till the spring has come
Scatter birdseed on the snow
Feeding birds is fun.
The North Wind doth blow,
And we shall have snow,
And what shall the poor robin do then?
Poor thing!
He'll sit in the barn,
And keep himself warm,
And hide his head under his wing,
Poor thing!
The North Wind doth blow,
And we shall have snow,
And what will the dormouse do then?
Poor thing!
Roled up like a ball,
In his nest snug and small,
He'll sleep till warm weather comes in.
Poor thing!
Five little sparrows high in a tree
The first one said, whom do I see?
The second one said, I see the street.
The third one said, and seeds to eat.
The fourth one said, the seeds are wheat.
The fifth one said, tweet, tweet, tweet.
Two little blackbirds sat on a hill,
One named Jack and one named Jill.
Fly away, Jack; fly away, Jill,
Come back, Jack; come back, Jill.
Two little blackbirds sat on a hill,
One named Jack and one named Jill.
Five little blue birds, hopping by my door
One went to build a nest, and then there were four
Four little blue birds singing lustily
One got out of tune, and then there were three
Three little blue birds, and what should one do,
But go in search of dinner, leaving only two.
Two little blue birds singing for fun
One flew away, and then there was one.
One little blue bird sitting in the sun
He took a little nap, and then there was none.
A little boy went into the barn,
And lay down on some hay.
An owl came out,
And flew about,
And the little boy ran away.
Five little chickadees, sitting by a door
One flew away, and then there were four
Chickadees, chickadees, happy and gay,
Chickadees, chickadees, fly away.
Four little chickadees, sitting in a tree
One flew away, and then there were three.
Chickadees, chickadees, happy and gay,
Chickadees, chickadees, fly away.
Three little chickadees, looking at you
One flew away, and then there were two.
Chickadees, chickadees, happy and gay,
Chickadees, chickadees, fly away.
Two little chickadees, sitting in the sun
One flew away, and then there was one.
Chickadees, chickadees, happy and gay,
Chickadees, chickadees, fly away.
One little chickadee, sitting all alone
That one flew away, and then there was none.
Two little black birds
Sitting on the wall,
One named Peter,
The other named Paul.
Fly away Peter!
Fly away, Paul!
Come back, Peter!
Come back, Paul!
Here is the bird feeder. Here, seeds and crumbs.
Sprinkle them on and see what comes.
One cardinal, one chickadee, one junco, one jay.
Four of my bird friends are eating today.
A flash of red against the pine!
The cardinal, nature's valentine
Flies across the gloom and grey
Of a February day.
As fast as any Cupid's dart,
And as scarlet as a heart.
For just a moment he is mine.
I saw a little bird go hop, hop, hop
So I said to the bird, won't you stop, stop, stop
And was going to the window, to say how do you do,
When he shook his little tail, and far away he flew.
The cuckoo's a fine bird,
He sings as he flies;
He brings us good tidings
He tells us no lies.
He sucks little birds' eggs,
To make his voice clear;
And when he sings "Cuckoo"
The summer is near !
The cuckoo is a merry bird,
She sings as she flies;
She brings us good tidings,
And tells us no lies.
She sucks little birds' eggs
To make her voice clear,
That she may sing Cuckoo!
Three months in the year.
(to the tune of Up On The Housetop)
Most of the birds have gone away
On this cold, dark winter's day
But here is one bird I can see
Looking for something to eat
Little bird, I'll feed you
Till the cold, winter's through
And all your friends come back to play
On some bright and warm spring day.
All the little birds are asleep in their nest.
All the little birds are taking a rest.
They do not even twitter, they do not even tweet.
Everything is quiet up and down the street.
Then came the mother bird and tapped them on the head.
They opened up one little eye and this is what was said,
"Come little birds, it's time to learn to fly,
Come little birds, fly away up in the sky."
Fly, fly, oh fly away, fly, fly, fly
Fly, fly, oh fly away, fly away so high.
Fly, fly, oh fly away, birds can fly the best.
Fly, fly, oh fly away, now fly back to your nest.
One little bird with lovely feathers blue
Sat beside another one. Then there were two.
Two little birds singing in the tree
Another came to join them. Then there were three.
Three little birds wishing there were more
Along came another bird. Then there were four.
Four little birds glad to be alive,
Found another lonely friend. Then there were five.
Five little birds just as happy as can be
Five little birds singing songs for you and me.
Preening every day,what a chore!
Wing up,leg out,tuck,twist,and stretch.
Preening every day, what a bore!
Wing down,leg in,bend,reach,and nibble.
Preening every day is the price we pay
to crouch,spring, and soar!
Flying day and night, what a delight!
Stretch, stretch away up high:
On your tiptoes, reach the sky.
See the bluebirds flying high.
Now bend down and touch your toes.
Now sway as the the North Wind blows.
Waddle as the gander goes!
High, high, high up in the sky
The little birds fly
Down, down, down in the nest
With a wing on the left
With a wing on the right
They sleep and they sleep
All through the night.
Come pretty swan, Swimming over the lake.
I've brought you some bread crumbs,
And small bits of cake.
Take care, pretty swan! Swim, swim away!
There's a great big crocodile coming this way.
Snip, snap, go his jaws. He is frightful to see.
But he'll never catch you!
And he'll never catch me!
Goosey, goosey, gander,
Whither shall I wander?
Upstairs, and downstairs,
And in my lady's chamber.
There I met an old man
Who wouldn't say his prayers!
I took him by the left leg
And threw him down the stairs.
Cock-a-doodle-do!
My dame has lost her shoe,
My master's lost his fiddle-stick
And knows not what to do.
Cock-a-doodle-do!
What is my dame to do?
Till master finds his fiddle-stick,
She'll dance without her shoe.
Sing a song of sixpence,
A pocket full of rye;
Four-and-twenty blackbirds
Baked in a pie!
When the pie was opened
The birds began to sing;
Was not that a dainty dish
To set before the king?
The king was in his counting-house,
Counting out his money;
The queen was in the parlor,
Eating bread and honey.
The maid was in the garden,
Hanging out the clothes;
When down came a blackbird
And snapped off her nose.
Little Robin Redbreast sat upon a tree,
Up went Pussy-Cat, down went he,
Down came Pussy-Cat, away Robin ran,
Says little Robin Redbreast: "Catch me if you can!
Little Robin Redbreast jumped upon a spade,
Pussy-Cat jumped after him, and then he was afraid.
Little Robin chirped and sang, and what did Pussy say?
Pussy-Cat said: "Mew, mew, mew," and Robin flew away.
Hush, little baby, don't say a word,
Mama's going to buy you a mockingbird.
If that mockingbird won't sing,
Papa's going to buy you a diamond ring.
If that diamond ring turns brass,
Mama's going to buy you a looking glass.
If that looking glass gets broke,
Papa's going to buy you a billy-goat.
And if that billy-goat runs away,
Mama's going to buy you another one today.
And all of these things your parents will do,
Because you're the best little child in the world.
Cocks crow in the morn,
To tell us to rise.
And he who lies late,
Will never be wise.
For early to bed,
And early to rise,
Is the way to be healthy,
And wealthy and wise.
Two little dicky birds sitting on a wall,
One named Peter, one named Paul.
Fly away Peter, fly away Paul,
Come back Peter, come back Paul!
This is the way we scratch for worms…scratch for worms…scratch for worms…
This is the way we peck our food…peck our food…peck our food…
This is the way we sit on our eggs…sit on our eggs…sit on our eggs…
This is the way we flap our wings…flap our wings…flap our wings…
This is the way we fly away.
Over in the meadow,
In the sand in the sun,
Lived an old mother toadie,
And her little toadie one,
"Wink!" said the mother;
"I wink!" said the one,
So they winked and they blinked,
In the sand in the sun.
Over in the meadow,
Where the stream runs blue,
Lived an old mother fish,
And her little fishes two,
"Swim!" said the mother;
"We swim!" said the two,
So they swam and they leaped,
Where the stream runs blue.
Over in the meadow,
In a hole in a tree,
Lived an old mother bluebird,
And her little birdies three,
"Sing!" said the mother;
"We sing!" said the three,
So they sang and were glad,
In a hole in the tree.
Over in the meadow,
In the reeds on the shore,
Lived an old mother muskrat,
And her little ratties four,
"Dive!" said the mother;
"We dive!" said the four,
So they dived and they burrowed,
In the reeds on the shore.
Over in the meadow,
In a snug beehive,
Lived a mother honey bee,
And her little bees five,
"Buzz!" said the mother;
"We buzz!" said the five,
So they buzzed and they hummed,
In the snug beehive.
Over in the meadow,
In a nest built of sticks,
Lived a black mother crow,
And her little crows six,
"Caw!" said the mother;
"We caw!" said the six,
So they cawed and they called,
In their nest built of sticks.
Over in the meadow,
Where the grass is so even,
Lived a gay mother cricket,
And her little crickets seven,
"Chirp!" said the mother;
"We chirp!" said the seven,
So they chirped cheery notes,
In the grass soft and even.
Over in the meadow,
By the old mossy gate,
Lived a brown mother lizard,
And her little lizards eight,
"Bask!" said the mother;
"We bask!" said the eight,
So they basked in the sun,
On the old mossy gate.
Over in the meadow,
Where the quiet pools shine,
Lived a green mother frog,
And her little froggies nine,
"Croak!" said the mother;
"We croak!" said the nine,
So they croaked and they splashed,
Where the quiet pools shine.
Over in the meadow,
In a sly little den,
Lived a gray mother spider,
And her little spiders ten,
"Spin!" said the mother;
"We spin!" said the ten,
So they spun lacy webs,
In their sly little den.