How the Birds got their Colours

An Aboriginal story

Told by Mary Albert

Compiled by Pamela Lofts

Prep-1 have been reading the story How the Birds got their Colours. The story is about a dove who hurts his foot, and it swells and becomes infected, he lays on the ground dying. Some of his friends come to help dove, all but crow.

Finally, one of the birds a parrot has an idea to pierce doves’ foot with her sharp beak to let the infection out. As he does the infection bursts the swollen foot and colour splashes out all over the parrot. It splashes all over the other birds making them red, brown, blue and yellow. Some got spots, some got stripes. All got colours except for crow who got no colour at all.