What exactly is birding?

For this column, I have decided to answer the question of exactly what activities constitute “birding” and which do not.


Birding is sometimes called "bird watching." Since expert birders often identify the birds through sound and not sight, the term "birding" is more accurate.

Birding is sometimes considered a sport or a passive sport. It involves identifying birds that live in nature, using a field guide or binoculars. Birders usually keep a list of every bird they’ve ever seen. Only birds that are not in captivity count, though. I’ve never seen a flamingo in nature, so I can’t check it off on my field guide’s checklist.

Maintaining a feeder for wild birds is also a form of birding, as the birds that come to the feeder are wild and can be identified.

What is not birding? Basically, if the birds you are observing are tame, it really doesn't ‘t count as “birding.” Visiting birds in a zoo or raptor hospital, or even volunteering or working in such a place can’t really be considered birding. It’s a worthwhile activity, and very important, but is it “birding?” Not so much.

Raising or breeding parrots or canaries is not birding. Pigeon racing is not birding, and in fact, it’s a hobby some birders find offensive. Releasing pigeons at weddings (and calling them doves) is not birding. You’re not birding if you are reading poems about birds, books about birds or collecting statues or music boxes with birds on them. I love bird collectibles. I have a collection of duck figurines (including one that sings “Hit me with your best shot.”) But I know that real ducks don’t sing Pat Beneath songs, so when I listen to it, I am not birding.

If you like the non-birding hobbies I mentioned in this column, why don’t you give real birding a try?

There is a myth put out by other bird writers that you must invest a lot of money for binoculars, that the cheaper ones don’t work well (or at all) and will cause you to lose interest in birding when you can’t identify anything. I disagree with that. While cheap binoculars may not last for more than a year or two, when they work they work well. Bushnell makes inexpensive binoculars that are sturdy and focus well. (There is another common, inexpensive brand of binoculars that I have had problems with, though, so stick with Bushnell. I have not been paid to endorse this product.) Also, avoid toy binoculars and opera glasses. Real binoculars that work pretty well start around $25.00.

While the top birders travel the world to see 700+ species in their lifetime, a hobby birder needs to spend absolutely nothing. Most parks and natural areas are free, and those that aren’t usually charge about $10 or less per car. And you don’t need to live in nature to see birds--there are a lot more than you think. I have managed to see over 100 species in crowded Hudson County, New Jersey. (This is the part of New Jersey that is reputed to smell bad--and not from bird dung! Actually, it smells better than it used to in the 1970’s.) People in the suburbs and rural areas can see even more.

So bird lovers, why not giver real birding a try? All it takes is a pair of binoculars that you can afford, a field guide and some gas!