Feathers, Fur and Fins: A song about flying foxes

SUBJECTS:  English

YEARS:  F–2

Have you seen a flying fox which is a type of fruit bat?

Don Spencer uses descriptive words and phrases in his flying fox song to help us understand these animals and explore a day in their life.

Things to think about

1. 1.A flying fox is a type of bat that feeds on fruit, leaves and nectar found in flowers. What do you think a flying fox might do during the day? What might it do at night?
2. 2.As you watch the clip, listen to the lyrics (words) of the song. How does it describe what flying foxes do during the day and at night? What words does it use to describe how they fly and what their wings are like?
3. 3.'Hanging around', 'silken wings', 'shadowy shapes,' and 'silent flight,' are all phrases used in the song to describe the flying fox. Why do you think the songwriter used these phrases? How do they help you to understand more about the flying fox?
4. 4.Draw a picture of a flying fox to show what it does during the day and at night. Add words and phrases to describe what it does at these times. Write a sentence about the flying fox.

Date of broadcast: 12 Aug 1986

Copyright

^{Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).}