Gen Z’s surprising favourite pastime has nothing to do with social media

When listeners to BBC Radio 3 Breakfast tune in at 6.30am they don’t hear music or chat – they hear birds. Presenter Tom McKinney introduced a dawn chorus slot more than a year ago, playing pure, uninterrupted birdsong to wake the nation. Tom, 47, says the response has been overwhelming, adding: “The feedback has been incredible. We get so many messages from people telling us how they now set their alarm clocks to begin the day with the sounds of nature.”

Amir Khan, president of the RSPB, is not surprised, saying: “Hearing birdsong, especially during the dawn chorus when they’re at their loudest and most beautiful, can produce more serotonin and make us feel good. For millennia, humans have evolved alongside nature, so it’s inherent that we want to connect with it. There’s even a scientific term for this theory, the biophilia hypothesis, which means we actively seek out nature, and a perfect example of this is listening to birdsong.”

And it’s not just Radio 3 listeners who are drawn to the cheering sound. Across Britain, thousands more people every month are flocking to become birdwatchers, or ‘twitchers’ – and Gen Z is driving the trend.

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New research by analytics firm Fifty5Blue, commissioned by the RSPB and published last month, found more than 700,000 people aged 16 to 29 now regularly birdwatch in Britain – an increase of more than a thousand per cent on the 61,000 2018 figure.

Johnathon Miller-McCall, 26, a naturalist, wildlife author and nature presenter based in south London, says: “People document their experiences bird watching, and when we see other humans experiencing something, we crave that. I think it’s also the mindfulness element. It allows parts of you – your high alertness – to switch off.

“Ironically, even though you’re using binoculars, you’ve got less tunnel vision. People realise this is quite an easy thing to get into, and a very accessible way of connecting with nature. It’s a nice gateway into broader nature nerdiness.”

Johnathon does most of his own birdwatching close to home on south west London’s Mitcham Common. He says birdwatchers don’t need countryside to pursue their hobby, and describes a magical moment at Walthamstow Wetlands in east London.

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He says: “I was looking up at an electric pylon in the reserve, or near it, and there was a peregrine falcon sitting really far up. That was the first time I’d spotted one. Seeing that almost mysterious bird up there, and seeing it fly across, was really surreal.”

There are now estimated to be more than four million birdwatchers in Britain, up from 2.7 million in 2018, a rise of 47%. Among millennials, participation has grown by 216 per cent.

In the United States, around 96 million people now closely observe, feed or photograph birds, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service – more than double the number eight years ago. The global birdwatching tourism market was valued at more than £52 billion last year and is projected to reach more than £87 billion by 2033.

In Britain this January, more than 650,000 people took part in the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch, the world’s largest garden wildlife survey, counting in excess of 9 million birds across 80 species, during a single weekend. Apps have also turbocharged the hobby. The free Merlin Bird ID app – which identifies a bird by its song in around 3 seconds – had more than 1.5 million active users in the US alone by 2023, a fivefold increase from 2020.

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Birdwatching is now the second fastest growing hobby for 16 to 29-year-olds in Britain, beaten only by jewellery making. The RSPB has announced free admission to its reserves for anyone aged between 16 and 24 and Gen Z is keenly taking up the offer.

Kirsty Lindsay, site manager at Newport Wetlands Reserve, says: “As more young people embrace birdwatching they are not only discovering a rewarding hobby, but are also developing a deeper appreciation for nature and the importance of protecting it.”

Molly Brown, 29, a wildlife adviser at the RSPB, agrees, saying: “Watching birds is no longer a niche or old-fashioned pastime and is attracting a younger, more diverse crowd. It’ll inspire you to get outside and discover beautiful green spaces, exercise and generally slow down, which everyone can benefit from.”

And birdwatchers, known as twitchers, are passionate about their hobby. Just last weekend, birdwatchers from as far as Norfolk, Lancashire and Yorkshire converged on a lake near Crowland in Lincolnshire, after a Squacco heron – usually found in southern Europe and Africa – was spotted by a dogwalker.

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Just two to five sightings of the species are recorded in Britain each year. So, within hours of posting the photograph on Facebook, the pilgrimage began. Celebrity twitcher Jim Moir, aka Vic Reeves, has turned birdwatching into a second career – describing birds and art as his “two main passions.”

He travels the country with his wife Nancy for their Sky Arts series Painting Birds, which is heading into a third run. He says: “I loved bird watching as a kid and I could probably tell you what any bird was, to this day, I’m a big wildlife fan. It’s really important.” In his latest documentary, Chris Packham defends ring-necked parakeets against calls for a cull.

Comedian and presenter Bill Bailey has written a book on birdwatching, also fronting his own birdwatching TV series. He says: “When you’re a birder, you have all sorts of reference books, and you know about migratory patterns and technical stuff. Most people just look out the window and say ‘is that a pigeon?’

Meanwhile, young people are turning to the hobby for what it has always provided: peace and quiet. Jess Painter, 24, of the RSPB’s Youth Council, says:. “When I’m watching birds, I’m not thinking about anything else. By taking a moment to be curious, to watch, listen and learn, you open yourself up to endless small moments of wonder.”

Radio 3 Breakfast presenter Tom McKinney says birdsong has been influencing musicians for centuries. He says: “Mozart kept a pet starling for three years and was besotted with it. When the bird died he gave it a funeral service in the back garden and made it a headstone. But it wasn’t just a family friend. Mozart had used some of its songs to make up melodies in his own music.”

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Vivaldi, he says, did the same thing in The Four Seasons, now 300 years old, getting his musicians to imitate cuckoos, goldfinches and doves. And Vaughan Williams wrote The Lark Ascending at the start of the First World War. Tom says: “Everything’s falling apart on earth, but here’s a bird that can take off, leave that all behind.”

Paul McCartney’s Blackbird reaches its most affecting moment when an actual bird joins in at the end. While Tom says of his most recent album: “McCartney said some of the songs were based on childhood memories of birdwatching on the outskirts of Liverpool.”

*BBC Radio 3 Breakfast is being presented live in Norfolk and Suffolk on 18 and 19 June, or you can listen on BBC Sounds.

• Merlin Bird ID: identifies birds by photo or song using AI, built by Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
• RSPB Birds by Bird: official RSPB identification app, question-led guide to UK species with songs, calls and habitat information for beginners.
• BirdTrack: British Trust for Ornithology app for logging sightings, feeding data directly into UK conservation and migration research projects.
• BirdNET: Cornell and Chemnitz University collaboration using machine learning to identify birds purely by their song or call.
• Birda: social birdwatching app for logging sightings, building lists and connecting with other birders nearby, popular with younger users.