Birdwatchers

Socio-psychology

A study of the motivations for birdwatching in New York concluded that initial motivations were largely similar in males and females, but males who participate actively in birding are more motivated by "sharing knowledge" with others, and active female birders are more motivated by their "intellectual" interest in studying birds, and by the "challenge" of identifying new and rare birds and improving their skills. Another study suggested that males lean towards competitive birding, while females prefer recreational birdwatching. A study for birdwatchers in Poland found that the proportion of female birdwatchers involved in twitching has grown in recent years and that female birdwatchers were more willing to participate in observations of more common bird rarities than male birdwatchers. While the representation of women has always been low, it has been pointed out that nearly 90% of all birdwatchers in the United States are white, with only a few African Americans. Other minority groups have formed organizations to support fellow birders, such as the Gay Birders Club and Birding For All, formerly the Disabled Birders Association.