joan Strassmann can recite bird trivia as fast as a peregrine falcon can soar through the sky.
Did you know that northern flickers coax their young to leave their nests by continuously screeching? That American coots sometimes hide eggs in the nests of other hens? That the white eyebrows of a male white-throated sparrow indicate that he might be a womanizer?
Here’s another fun, feathered fact: Bird watching—or even just listening to them—can lead to a variety of mental health benefits in humans, including lasting stress relief.
“The mental health benefits are profound,” says Strassmann, author of the new book. Slow Birding: The Art and Science of Enjoying Birds in Your Own Backyard. “Sitting outside and listening to the birds and hearing their songs is really relaxing. And for me, the special thing about birds is that they can leave, they don’t have to be there, but they chose to be where you are and, at some point, they will move on.
Ornithology skyrocketed in popularity during the pandemic, when people were looking for a safe, free, outdoor pastime. Calls to Mass Audubon exploded in 2020: New remote workers wanted to know what was going on outside their window, says Joan Walsh, chair of field ornithology and natural history for the Massachusetts chapter. “There’s a lot of drama,” she notes, like a soap opera that takes place in the treetops every day. In addition to captivating avian intrigue, birders of any skill level can take advantage of the strong mental health benefits associated with the hobby. “This connection that we have with nature is a lot like being in love,” says Walsh. “I don’t know how to describe it other than attachment.”
Researchers have long sought to understand the benefits of bird watching. A study published in October in scientific reports found that seeing or hearing birds improved people’s mental well-being for up to eight hours. Nearly 1,300 people used a smartphone app to record their mood several times a day, noting whether they could see or hear birds. People with depression, as well as those without mental health problems, experienced significant improvements in well-being when they had these encounters. The benefits were not explained by other environmental factors, such as seeing trees, plants or water, all of which the study controlled for.
read more: Why do doctors prescribe nature walks?
Other research supports the idea that birds are good for the brain. A 2017 study published in bioscience, for example, found that the abundance of birds in urban neighborhoods was associated with a lower prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress. another study, published in 2020 in Ecological Economics, showed a correlation between happiness and the number of bird species around people’s houses and towns. Being around 14 additional bird species, the study authors noted, was as satisfying as earning an extra $150 per month. and a small study from 2013 in the Journal of Environmental Psychology found that of all the natural sounds one might hear, people were most likely to associate birdsong with relieving stress and restoring attention.
What exactly is it that calms birds? Andrea Mechelli, professor of early intervention in mental health at King’s College London and author of the recent bird song study, theorizes that there are multiple factors at play. Nature helps improve concentration by decreasing mental fatigue, she says, and reduces stress by lower blood pressure and levels of stress-inducing hormones such as adrenaline, cortisol, and norepinephrine. Additionally, birds tend to draw people outside, and outdoor activity improves mood through exercise and socializing. “Birds probably make people feel better through all of these mechanisms,” he says.
There’s also the fact that birds are, well, everywhere: beautiful, colorful missiles streaking through the sky. “Can fly. They can do something that we can never do, outside of an airplane, so there’s that fascination,” says Tina Phillips, deputy director of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. “There are so many things about birds in terms of their charisma, their behavior and their approachability that makes them this perfect group of animals that people can really relate to and resonate with.”
Additionally, birds often represent or remind us of certain seasons and places. The arrival of a red-winged blackbird in the first weeks of March, for example, is a promising clue that spring is headed northeast. Birds gift humans with an “ephemeral feeling,” Phillips says, and a “constant reminder of the seasonality of our world and our lived experiences.”
5 ways to start bird watching
One of the best things about birding is its low barrier to entry, not to mention the huge draw: It’s doable for kids, teens, middle-aged parents, retirees, and everyone in between. “It’s one of the easiest hobbies to get into,” Phillips says. “All you need is a little natural space, and if you have a pair of binoculars, great, but if you don’t, that’s fine.”
Here are five ways to help your new hobby take off:
Invite the birds to you.
Want to become better acquainted with your local bird population? Set up a bird feeder, advises Phillips. “That’s going to draw birds to you,” she says. “On any given morning, I get 10 to 15 different species coming to the feeder.” If you’re on a tight budget, you can even do your thing with supplies like pineapples and peanut butter.
Those who want to venture beyond their backyard should first visit places with water, says Sharon Stiteler, author of 1001 Secrets Every Bird Watcher Should Know. All birds are thirsty, so they are naturally drawn to these places. “Don’t necessarily choose the park with the densest forest, you should stick to the forested edges,” she says. “That’s when you have the best chance of seeing the birds.”
Use an app to learn your favorite bird songs.
Learning which birds make which sounds is like discovering a new language. The Cornell Ornithological Laboratory is free Merlin Bird ID App makes the identification process easier and more fun.
If you see an interesting bird that you’d like to identify, you can answer a few simple questions: How big was it? What were your main colors? The app will generate a list of possible matches. You can also upload a photo to increase the chances of finding your bird. Or upload a clip of the sounds you hear and get real-time suggestions on who’s singing. “It does amazing things and it’s amazingly accurate,” says Stiteler. “It’s been a game changer for birding, and I think it’s part of the reason so many people turned to birding during the pandemic.”
Take a bird watching course.
There’s always something new to learn about birds, Stiteler says: Even a fairly common robin or chickadee can exhibit behavior you haven’t seen before or make a new sound. Pursuing a formal education can help you expand your knowledge. Cornell offers a variety of online courses, including gardening to attract birds, a deep dive into the world of owls, and understanding bird behavior. Many other organizations do the same.
It can also be helpful to have an expert bird watcher on your outings. As Phillips points out, these are people who can identify a bird based on “its general gist,” versus some super-obvious trait, like a large eye ring. “Go out with someone who can tell you what you’re looking for,” she says. “They will help you identify the important parts of the bird that will help you identify it.” To find a guide, get in touch and consider joining a local bird club.
Keep a list of the birds you see.
Stiteler has been birding since she was seven years old; he considers the feathered creatures his first and truest love. For years, spruce grouse was at the top of her wish list: “It became a running joke: people would send me pictures of spruce grouse,” she says. After traveling for hours hoping to see one, she would arrive to find a predator there.
But last summer, after spending 20 years looking up, Stiteler was biking through Alaska’s Denali National Park when he turned the corner and found a male grouse in the middle of the road. Then two more appeared. “I cried afterwards,” she says. “It was so satisfying.”
Like Stiteler, many birders keep lists: of the birds they expect to see, but also an ongoing record of the ones they’ve seen, say, in their backyard or in their state. “I know one person who has at least a dozen different lists,” says Christopher Leahy, whose books include birdpaedia. “Not only does he have his life list, his garden list, and his county list, but also birds he’s heard from bed, birds he’s seen poop.”
Keeping your own list(s) is a great way to become more familiar with what you’re looking at every day, while also creating an archive you can return to in the future. If you’re a visual person, consider drawing every bird you see. Leahy recently went birding with a friend who specializes in nature drawing, and as he pointed out different species, she drew. “You’re creating art, but you’re also journaling in a sense, and it’s a learning thing,” she says. “A perfect way to learn to identify a bird is to draw it.”
Turn your backyard into a bird sanctuary.
Birdwatching depends on humans protecting the environments that foster and sustain bird life. One way to do it is by choose native plants that attract and protect birds. Not sure what’s best for your area? The National Audubon Society operates a database that allows users to enter their ZIP code and see a list of native plants, as well as any birds they might attract.
Once you start seeing birds, you can submit your sightings to a global database like eBirdLeahy says. The site documents things like bird abundance and habitat use, and submissions help you maintain real-time data. Volunteers are always needed to help with efforts like the Audubon Society’s annual event. Christmas bird countduring which people go out to count every bird they hear or see in a circle 15 miles in diameter.
Unfortunately, research indicates that bird populations are declining at a rapid rate. Data collected from “citizen birders” is helping experts understand what’s going on and ultimately how to prevent it, says Leahy. “Some of the things we’re discovering are a bit depressing at the moment, but if you turn it on its head, it also points to where we need to go in terms of conservation, so that’s a positive thing,” she says. That is true for birds, as well as for the mental health of all the people who enjoy them.
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