Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship
More than a third of adults in the U.S. engage in some form of birdwatching, with the majority of them being age 55 or older, according to data from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
But technological advancements are creating a new generation of avian enthusiasts. Experts say apps such as Merlin Bird ID and eBird are attracting more members of Gen Z to the hobby, fostering a new community of young naturalists.
“We need this next generation to really develop that sense of conservatorship responsibility in terms of ensuring that we preserve what we have and all of their habitats,” said Patrick Philips, president of the Green Mountain Bird Alliance. “That’s been one of our main focuses as an organization, to really try to instill that in all the groups, for a long time.”
Allan Strong, an ornithologist and the director of the wildlife and fisheries biology program at the University of Vermont, believes the birding trend began to take flight during the COVID-19. He said people were looking to spend more time outdoors, and walking around searching for birds in their neighborhood offered that opportunity.
Data supports Strong’s hypothesis: According to Audubon on Campus, a national program focused on engaging college students in birding and conservation, the club’s growth has been exponential, expanding from a dozen chapters in 2019 to over 92 by 2025.
Strong said he has seen a marked increase in the number of young birders. His ornithology class at UVM has doubled in size over the past few years, with upwards of 60 students enrolled each semester, a number he calls “mind-boggling.”
Like many birders, Strong also credits the introduction of new birding technologies, namely Cornell Lab’s Merlin Bird ID, to the increase in popularity. The free app, which Strong uses in his classes, allows users to identify birds around them with the touch of a button using features such as photo and audio identification.
“The app democratizes birding. You don’t really need any kind of special training to know what birds are singing all around you. You can just walk around in the woods and have your Merlin app out,” Strong said.
Philips, who is a former high school biology teacher, agreed, saying that creating technology that is accessible and attractive to Gen Z could help younger people appreciate nature more.
“It’s been a fabulous entry point for people. For somebody to walk out in their backyard, put Merlin on and say, ‘Oh my god, there’s 20 species here,’ Then they start to look at those birds, and they begin to learn more,” he said.
Avid birder Max Handelman, 22, of Burlington, said birding technology is reaching younger generations by challenging stereotypes about who can participate in the pastime.
“Birding has the connotation of something that older people do. This is something where you have a pair of binoculars, you sit in total silence for multiple hours in the same location, waiting for one bird to hopefully grace your camera lens for a photo. But that’s simply not true, and these apps have made that abundantly clear,” he said.
Handelman got into birding more than two years ago, after enrolling at the University of Vermont. Despite having no prior interest in the hobby, his friends encouraged him to try it. By the following semester, he was enrolled in the UVM Birding Club, he said.
While he graduated this spring, Handelman has kept up with the hobby. He often makes trips to popular birding spots around Chittenden County, such as Colchester Pond and Shelburne Bay, where he searches for his favorite species, like the fish crow.
Handelman said apps like Merlin are enticing to young people because of their game-like components. Many apps feature checklists and leaderboards, allowing birders to log their finds and compare their species counts with others in the area.
Gen Z’s new-age spin on birding and growing appreciation of the creatures has been a net positive, said Handelman, as finding a common interest in the activity has also created new opportunities for social connection.
People go out on trips. My friends and I will have group chats and text, ‘Hey, there’s this bird around, you should try and go find it,’” he said. “It’s a very inclusive community.”
Strong agreed, saying that regardless of the method, birding is appealing because there’s no wrong way to do it. Everyone can participate in their own way.
“In some ways, trying not to actually define what birding is is probably a good thing,” he said. “It might be looking at my feeder. It might be doing something extreme like climbing a mountain to find high-elevation birds. But it might just be strolling through the neighborhood with Merlin on.”