Why more Indians are taking up birdwatching: The hobby that can calm your mind and sharpen your brain

A few weeks ago, 29-year-old, Ruchika Banerjee, was having a difficult day and decided to step out for a walk. Soon enough, her eyes chanced upon a spotted owlet perched on a neem tree. The bird swivelled its head almost 360 degrees, locked eyes with its human observer for a moment, and then disappeared into the trees.

“It was such a short encounter, but it stayed with me,” says Banerjee. “It felt like a quiet, almost poetic reminder that joy has a way of returning.” That moment is what a birdwatcher or a birder (as they are now called) like Banerjee cherishes about this hobby. And she’s not alone.

Across India, a growing number of people from diverse walks of life are discovering the joys of looking up at a feathered friend. For some, birding is a casual weekend hobby. For others, it becomes a serious pursuit, involving expensive equipment, planned trips and the thrill of adding an elusive species to their ‘life list’ — the running tally of birds they have spotted.


As with many niche pursuits, birding is easier to get into when you know where to start and who to start with. Once a niche pastime reserved for naturalists, bird watching is finding a new generation of enthusiasts in India. We have you covered.

Birds of a feather

One of the first step as a novice bird watcher is to join a local community. These online and offline channels are there to help clarify doubts, get help with identification, discuss sightings and share photographs.

Pankaj Gupta, who has organised dozens of bird walks in the Delhi-NCR region, says that everyone has different reasons to become a birder. “While a 50-something professional is usually looking to take things slow, younger people, especially those who are not from the city, may take up birdwatching to get more familiar with their surroundings.”

When starting out it’s better to go with a birding group as the various steps involved in spotting a bird can be better performed by a group. While someone is more adept at catching tiny movements across the foliage, another person can recognise a bird call, while yet another can capture a photograph or help make sure that the group stays within a safe trail.

Click Therapy

For beginners, bird photography often starts with point-and-click cameras that come with built-in lenses. The fully automatic mode on these devices allows users to focus on spotting birds and tracking movement rather than tweaking manual settings around shutter speed or ISO.

Advanced photographers end up investing in more expensive DSLRs, which are paired with telephoto lenses. With focal lengths varying anywhere from 300mm to 800mm and beyond, these allow birders to capture birds at great distances. Many of these models also come with sophisticated image stabilisation and faster burst modes, making it easier to capture fleeting moments.

These are, however, bulkier and not easy to manoeuvre in unfamiliar settings. No matter which device is being used, the underlying principle remains the same: capture bird behaviour, without disturbing them.

Beauty of birding

“What I love about bird walks is the sheer variety of people who turn up. I’ve had schoolchildren, grandparents, professionals, photographers, researchers, homemakers and people who have never watched a bird before. And that’s the beauty of birding — you don’t really need to know anything to start” — Sohail Madan, ecologist and director, WildTales Foundation.

The Great Indian Diversity

Few countries offer birdwatchers such a varied landscape to work with as India. From alpine Himalayan forests in the north to tropical Western Ghats down south, and the ecologically critical Sunderbans wetlands in the east to Rajasthan’s dry scrub in the northwest, the country packs an extraordinary range of habitats into its geography.

The Western Ghats are home to several endemics such as the near-threatened Nilgiri Blue Robin and the Malabar Grey Hornbill; the Himalayas offer high-altitude birds such as the Himalayan Monal and the Koklass Pheasant; the Northeast region is prized for unique sights like the Manipur Bush Quail and Ward’s Trogon; Rajasthan’s Bharatpur is famed for the Sarus Crane, among others; Gujarat’s Rann of Kutch is best known for the Flamingos’ breeding season; and the Andaman and Nicobar islands host elusive sights such as the Nicobar Megapode and Narcondam Hornbill.

Then there is the seasonal bonus. Every winter, birds from Central Asia and partsof Europe arrive at India’s wetlands, grasslands and coasts. “While seasoned bird watchers and photographers remain an important part of our clientele, we now see younger travellers, couples, families and groups of friends showing greater interest in birds and nature” — Salil Dutta, tour executive, Asian Adventures.

A Starter’s Toolkit

Once the habit takes hold, some tools can make the experience considerably richer.

Binoculars and Scopes: Beginners can opt for an 8x42 binoculars, where eight is degree of magnification and 42 is diameter of the front lenses. Ten-times magnification (10x42) is useful for birds farther away, but its greater sensitivity to hand movement can make it harder for a novice to track a moving bird. Spotting scopes offer greater magnification and are useful for scanning large wetlands. But these are bulkier, more expensive and usually need a tripod.

Merlin and eBird: The internet and smartphones have reduced the need for carrying field guides. Merlin Bird ID, an app developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, can help identify birds from photographs and even their calls. Young birders call it a Shazam for birds. Then there’s eBird, also from the Cornell Lab, which allows birders to record sightings, maintain personal lists and explore what has been spotted at a location. A casual sighting can become part of a much larger citizen-science database.

Birder’s Code of Conduct

- Keep your distance. Do not chase birds or disturb their natural surroundings.

- Avoid flash, noise. Do not play recorded bird calls or use flash photography.

- Respect the habitat. Clean up after yourselves.

- Dress appropriately. Wear neutral colours, carry a hat and do not wear heavy perfume, as strong artificial fragrances disturb wildlife behaviour by masking natural scents.

More Than a Hobby

Birding can be a gateway to wider ecological awareness. Once people begin noticing the birds, they start paying attention to shrinking habitats and changing seasons too.

Recently, eBird provided valuable bird data in environmental cases across India, including the expansion of a waste processing plant in Basai wetland region of Gurugram and the landmark National Green Tribunal (NGT) case that suspended clearance for the Nyam Jang Chhu hydroelectric project in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh.

Bird Your Way to Better Health

Recent neuroscience research has found that experienced birders have denser brain matter in the frontoparietal cortex, a region linked to cognition and working memory, than beginners. This is likely because bird watching involves an interconnected body of knowledge, engaging senses such as sight and sound with memory and attention. It can also strengthen cognitive function through neuroplasticity. Other studies have found that listening to bird calls and following birds can reduce anxiety and be a source of purpose and reward.

“All your birding events, bird counts, surveys, is happening on eBird. It becomes citizen science by default. Not everybody has to understand the implications of the data set or analyse it. You’re just making your own checklist” — Pankaj Gupta, regional coordinator— Delhi NCR, Bird Count India.

“Bird watching has allowed me to disconnect from screens, appreciate my surroundings, and form lasting friendships with fellow birders.” — Kaushani Banerjee, Delhi-based bird watcher.

“The birds change with seasons. Early spring sees more treepies and barbets, summer mornings start with sunbirds and eventually no birds throughout the hot days, monsoon means more parakeets in a big group, winters bring crows shrouded in a thick blanket of fog” — Shivangi, Hyderabad-based bird watcher.