Birdwatching has become an increasingly popular hobby in recent years. With the proliferation of social media, birders have taken to platforms like Twitter to share their sightings and connect with fellow avian enthusiasts. This has given rise to several trending birdwatching hashtags that serve as rallying points for the birding community.
#birding
One of the most popular and frequently used hashtags is simply #birding. This provides a general tag that birders can use when sharing photos, videos, or commentary about their birdwatching experiences. It allows birders to find and engage with a wide range of fellow birding accounts from around the world. As a broadly encompassing hashtag, #birding sees a high volume of use and helps birdwatchers build an online community.
#birds
For those looking to cast an even wider net, the hashtag #birds provides an ultra-general tag for all things avian. This allows users to share bird photos, science articles, or random musings bird-related. Of course with such an broad focus, tweets tagged #birds run an even wider gamut in terms of content and media. The hashtag sees heavy daily use and reflects the popularity of birding as well as humanity’s general fascination with our feathered friends.
#birdphotography
For birding enthusiasts more interested in the photographic side of things, #birdphotography provides a popular tag. Tweets with this hashtag tend to feature stunning bird portraits, action shots of birds in flight, and close-up snaps of colorful plumage. Photographers often include details about how they captured their featured bird pictures. The hashtag is a great source of inspiration, tips, and tricks for aspiring bird photographers.
#warblers
Warblers are a favorite for many North American birders. These small, often colorful songbirds migrate through the US and Canada in the spring and fall. Given the popularity of warbler-watching, it’s no surprise that #warblers emerges as a recurring hashtag during migration seasons. Tweets marked with it provide a focused look at the diverse warblers winging their way across the continent and highlight favorite species like the Yellow-rumped Warbler.
#waterfowl
Just as warblers attract their dedicated following, so too do waterfowl like ducks and geese. When these birds are making their seasonal migrations, #waterfowl offers a channel to specifically follow movements and sightings. Between this and #warblers, birders are kept apprised of migration movements and patterns throughout the year via hashtags focused on individual groups of birds.
#owls
One of the most beloved group of birds, particularly photogenic species like owls have inspired their own hashtag. #owls pulls together elf owl snaps, great horned hoots, snowy sketches, and more. The wise raptors are hugely popular for birders and non-birders alike, making #owls a trending tag that often spreads far beyond typical birdwatching accounts.
#hummingbirds
The tiniest of birds also warrant their own hashtag. #hummingbirds highlights the breathtaking, buzzing gems. Favorites like ruby-throated and rufous hummingbirds are frequently featured along with their lightning-fast wings and elongated nectar-sipping beaks. Backyard birders use #hummingbirds to share their attractor setups and visitor stats during summer months when hummers are most active.
#peeps
Shorebirds, or “peeps” as they are affectionately known, are the subject of their own hashtag. #peeps attracts an avid following during spring and summer as the tiny sandpipers and plovers launch their nesting season. It provides a window into the displays, nests, eggs, and chick rearing activities of birds like semipalmated plovers and least sandpipers.
#birdsoftwitter
One hashtag dedicated exclusively to avian life on the platform itself is #birdsoftwitter. This tag surfaces the accounts, tweets, and personalities of the surprisingly large number of birds that have their own Twitter profiles. Yes, real birds like Corey the Crow and Thomas the Swan post under their own names (with a bit of human assistance). #birdsoftwitter helps fans follow along with the antics and adventures of their favorite feathered tweeters.
#migmon
One hashtag focused on data collection is #migmon, short for migration monitoring. Conservationists encourage people to tag their bird sightings with #migmon along with details like date, location, species, and numbers. This creates a rich data source to study migration timing and population numbers that helps inform avian research and conservation efforts.
#ornithology
On the science side of birdwatching, #ornithology provides a hub for research developments and discoveries about bird biology, behavior, evolution, and more. Lay birding enthusiasts, professionals, and institutions all share news and commentary using the #ornithology hashtag as a way to spread academic avian content to a broader public audience.
#backyardbirds
For more casual birding fans focused on their own turf, #backyardbirds surfaces the various species visiting feeders, nests, ponds, and gardens across neighborhoods. Backyard birders trade tips on attracting birds and share daily checklists of feathery visitors spotted just outside their doors. #backyardbirds makes neighborhood birding discoveries accessible to birders everywhere.
Location and Species Tags
In addition to those broad category hashtags, Twitter birders also tag posts by location and species names. Using capitalized species names like #SnowyOwl and #Mallard allows posts to pop up in searches for particular bird species. Location tags (#QuebecBirds, #NYCbirding) let users filter regionally relevant content. Combining these location and species tags with broader category hashtags enables birders to target tweets for engaged audiences.
Why Birdwatching Hashtag Use Is Rising
The increased use of hashtags to share and discover birding content reflects some key factors:
- Rise in birdwatching popularity – More people birdwatching means more people using hashtags.
- Improved photo technology – High quality photos are ideal social media content.
- Ability to build community – Hashtags connect birders across regions.
- Instant documentation – Can log a rare bird sighting in real-time.
- Access to knowledge – Experts share info and ID tips through hashtags.
Challenges of Birdwatching Hashtags
However, there are also some challenges and criticisms around the use of hashtags for birding:
- Can spread misinformation – Incorrect ID’s or facts get circulated.
- Causes disruption – Heavy traffic to see rare birds.
- Detracts from experience – Can obsess over documenting vs enjoying.
- Data reliability – Sightings aren’t verified.
- Misuse of tags – Using irrelevant hashtags for visibility.
Ethical Use of Birdwatching Hashtags
To maintain a positive impact of birding hashtags, experts recommend:
- Authentic engagement – Use tags to build community, not just promote yourself.
- Accuracy – Verify info and IDs before sharing.
- Considerate location sharing – Don’t share nest sites or rare species that could be disturbed.
- Respectful photography – Don’t disrupt behavior for the perfect shot.
- Acknowledge limitations – Remember data reflects observations not population trends.
The Future of Birdwatching Hashtags
Looking ahead, we can expect birdwatching hashtags to continue trending as more birders take to social media. Existing tag use will increase, especially during peak events like Spring migration. New hashtags may also emerge to represent different niches like #birdingwithkids or #birdrescue. Technological advances enabling livestreams and geo-tagging could expand hashtag functionality. And with climate change threatening many bird populations, hashtags can potentially play a role in raising awareness and gathering data to protect threatened species. Birdwatching hashtags look set to remain a growing hub binding the global birding community together on sites like Twitter.