The federal government is relaunching a widely-recognized TV ad campaign to bring knowledge of wildlife to a new generation.

Hinterland Who's Who, a series of 60-second public service ads profiling Canadian animals and birds, became widely known after it was launched in the 1960s.

The introductory flute music is instantly recognizable, and the topics – covering animals from the American black duck to the woodchuck – brought nature into the living room.

A leatherback seaturtle

Environment Canada said there are eight new ads being broadcast Monday, 30-second segments that "build on the classic theme of the original Hinterland Who's Who" and 60-second commercials aimed at younger viewers with "a modernized soundtrack".

But "don't worry, that familiar tune is still there," the agency said.

The animals in the news ads are the polar bear, monarch butterfly, common loon and leatherback seaturtle.

The government's also promoting a new website for Hinterland Who's Who.

On the site, viewers can watch the original 60-second video clips, the new clips – and some spoofs of the series.