Darn Dawn Birds
Five birds sing over each other at dawn somewhere on Earth. Name them by ear before the sun is up.
Every day: One place on Earth a day with five of its birds singing at once. The round is seeded so everyone hears the same place and the same birds. New puzzle: Midnight, your local time.
Darn Dawn Birds is a daily listening game. A pin drops on a real place, its local dawn chorus starts all at once, and you name the five birds hangman-style before the timer runs out. Everyone gets the same place and birds each day.
About Darn Dawn Birds
Darn Dawn Birds comes from The Sunrise, the makers of the Bird Rise alarm app, and was published on itch.io by Diegodotta in August 2026. Each morning a pin lands on a real place on a dotted world map, such as the Scottish Highlands, the Pantanal or a hillside in Japan, and five birds that actually live there start singing over each other like a real dawn chorus.
Each bird has a card with its name shown as blanks. Typing a single letter reveals it in every name at once, and typing a full name (or picking a suggestion) guesses that bird. A correct name silences it, so the chorus thins out as you go. A circular timer counts down, and silencing all five before it ends earns a speed bonus. As the clock runs low, blurred bird photos sharpen as a last hint.
The daily round is seeded so everyone plays the same place and birds, which makes it easy to compare with friends. Every bird you name is added to your Aviary, where you can replay its call and read about the species. Your streak and Aviary are kept on your device. The bird calls and photos come from the Bird Rise library.
The game runs in the browser on phones and desktops. On desktop you just type; on touch screens you tap to start and type to guess.
How to play Darn Dawn Birds
- Open Darn Dawn Birds and start today's round to see where the pin has landed.
- Listen to the five birds singing together and pick out one voice at a time.
- Type a single letter to reveal it in every bird's name, or type a whole name to guess a bird.
- Each correct bird stops singing; name all five before the timer runs out for a speed bonus.
- Open your Aviary afterwards to replay the calls of the birds you have named.
Screenshots
Tips
- Start with the voice that stands out most, then work through the quieter ones.
- Common letters such as e or a fill in several names at once.
- Think about which birds live in the place on the map; all five are local to it.
- If you are stuck, wait for the blurred photos to sharpen near the end of the timer.
Questions
Is Darn Dawn Birds the same for everyone?
Yes. The round is seeded by the date, so everyone gets the same place and the same birds each day.
When does a new round start?
At midnight on your own device's clock.
Is it free?
Yes. It plays free in the browser with no account. Your streak and Aviary are saved on your device.
Where do the bird sounds come from?
The calls and photos come from the library of Bird Rise, an alarm app by the same makers.
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