Dawn moves through three phases, each one represented by different bird species awakening with their unique songs. A robin warbles first during Astronomical Dawn when the sun is still 18° below the horizon. This is followed by Nautical Dawn (12° below the horizon), heralded by the song of a chickadee. Finally, a towhee serenades the arrival of Civic Dawn when the sun is 6° below the horizon and objects can be clearly seen. On it goes as other birds jubilantly join The Dawn Chorus. This lyrical book about songbirds describes the unique voices of eleven common species. Helpful back matter provides further information on how and why birds sing the way they do.
