Gen Z is now scrolling for birds on TikTok

Birdwatching is finding an unlikely new audience on TikTok, where Gen Z users are turning bird identification, wildlife photography, and even traditional bird ringing into social media content. Well, that is what The Guardian’s report about TikTok says, El.kz cites Digital Trends.

The Guardian states that TikTok has found that posts using #birdwatching and #birdtok have risen by a third over the past three months, while #birding posts have increased 40% in the UK. Globally, posts carrying one of the three hashtags have now reached 1 million. One video featuring a seagull being fed raw salmon has attracted more than 52 million views.

The trend is giving a traditionally older hobby a strikingly younger image, with social media helping people discover birds without needing to join an established birding community first.

A hobby once associated with older generations is getting younger

The numbers suggest the change extends beyond social-media views. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has recorded nearly 9 million views on its bird-related posts over the past year, with roughly a third coming from people under 24.

The British Trust for Ornithology has also reported growing demand for events aimed at younger birders, including camps, walks and talks for people aged 11 to 25. The organization says attracting younger people to events was once difficult, but demand has now surged. The timing matters. With online spaces increasingly filled with polarizing arguments, aggressive content and AI-generated material, birding offers something considerably less complicated: an excuse to go outside and pay attention to something real.

Social media may ultimately be what gets people away from their screens. For a hobby built around looking up, the irony is rather wonderful.