Expert birdwatchers have brain structures that novices do not have. Those structures appear to help them ID birds more easily. They may also prevent cognitive decline.
When learning a new skill, the brain reorders itself to streamline processes and make space. The process is called neuroplasticity. Professionals with highly trained skills have structural changes in relevant areas of their brains. Musicians develop changes related to hearing; athletes have changes related to motor function. Expert birdwatchers have denser brain tissue in areas related to attention and perception than people who recently took up the hobby.
“Our brains are very malleable,” said lead author Dr. Erik Wing, who was working with the Baycrest Academy for Research and Education in Toronto. “[Birding] combines fine-grain identification, visual search and attention to the immediate environment and sensitivity to motion, pattern detection, building these elaborate conceptual networks of different related species. Also, you have to remember what you’re seeing and compare it to these internal templates.”
The researchers looked at the brains of 58 birders. Of those, 29 were novices. Everyone was a member of the same birdwatching organizations. The Researchers used MRI scans to look at the participants’ brains while they performed a bird matching exercise.
The experienced birders were better at the bird-identifying exercise. They also had denser brain tissue in areas linked to working memory, spatial awareness and object recognition. A functional MRI showed that those were the areas in the brain that were active during the exercise. They were especially active when the experts were identifying nonnative birds.
“It gives us a window into how these regions might be important for developing the expertise in the first place,” said Dr. Wing. “Then we can see [birders] actually deploy those types of skills to help them identify new, unfamiliar species of birds.”
“[These] skills from birding could be beneficial for cognition as people age,” said Dr. Wing.
There may be other factors in the changes in the brain. Birders are outdoorsy people who may lead a more active, healthy lifestyle. Getting into the hobby might get you to spend more time in nature. Time in green spaces is linked to lower risk of cognitive impairment, better attention span and more walking. People who birdwatch may socialize because of the hobby, and socializing as a person ages is linked to higher processing speeds.
This also wasn’t a longitudinal study. The same people weren’t tested at different ages. It could be that people with denser tissue in those areas are better at birdwatching. That might lead to them enjoying it more and sticking with the hobby long enough to be classified as an expert.
The Lower 48 has around 990 species of birds. Right now, it may be too cold to get out and see them. However, if you get a book now and start studying the birds in your area, by spring, you could have a lot of fun outside and maybe strengthen your brain!
