Birds and happiness

One of the great joys of spring is the return of the birds. In the middle of the forest or in large urban parks, we enjoy watching the sudden burst of colored wing, hearing new flutters and great melodious flights.

Does interacting with a bird make you happy? According to a British study published in the journal Science Nature, yes. The title of the article itself is suggestive: A smartphone-based ecological assessment reveals the psychological benefits of birds (“Spot smart phone tests show mental health benefits for wildlife”).

The authors, mainly from King’s College London, note a growing body of research reporting the benefits of connecting with nature for mental health. Some focus on typical interactions with green spaces such as forests and large parks, while other studies focus on “blue spaces” such as oceans, lakes or rivers.

There are works on the impact of winged animals on mental health, but according to the authors of the British study, they are not entirely satisfactory. Most use questionnaires that participants complete after the fact, which can lead to errors. Other tasks are performed in an artificial environment: participants sit in front of a computer and are shown pictures of birds or have to listen to their songs.

The British team developed an application that interacted with participants three times a day, asking them how they were feeling at that particular time, with around ten targeted questions. The app asks them if they see or hear birds.

Statistical analysis of all responses showed that participants’ level of well-being was higher when they were in the presence of birds. This effect was somewhat sustained and held for both healthy participants and those diagnosed with depression.

The authors acknowledge that their study has limitations (participants were recruited from a few social networks, they were mostly white university-level individuals, etc.), but they still believe that these results argue for greater exposure to winged animals. Some doctors are already recommending exposure to nature. They can add habitats that are especially rich in birds.

“The adoption of environmental policies is essential to protect and enhance the mosaic of habitats in rural and urban areas,” they conclude.

Push the song

Sometimes birds seem to express happiness when they sing. This is not really the case, says Jean-Sébastien Guénette, general manager of QuébecOiseaux. In fact, they need serious reasons to push the song.

“Singing is a major expenditure of energy,” he recalls. In addition, it attracts predators. »

Birds (mainly males) sing for two main reasons: to declare their territory and to attract females.

“The reward is worth the risk associated with saying, ‘Here I am, come and eat me,'” says Mr. Gunet.

However, birders are as happy as anyone when spring comes and the songs break out in the early morning.

Some birds are not satisfied in the morning. “These are two species that sing even at noon and they don’t stop. »

Mr. Guénette also mentions the starling, who imitates other birds, but he has a weakness for forests. “He is a very small bird, but he can sing without stopping for a minute without taking a breath. It always fascinated me. »

There are birds with somewhat less melodious songs, such as crows and blue jays. “When you hear a blue jay, you think: What? Is that beautiful bird singing like that?”

Making ornithologists laugh is the classic bald eagle, which sounds like a common sponge. “It’s deceiving. When you see an eagle in a movie, ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ and give it a red-tailed hawk call, it’s actually a bird of prey. »

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