tui andrea lightfoot unsplash
Photo by Andrea Lightfoot

Filter by Date:

Regional field advisors

Contact an advisor to investigate or negotiate public outdoor access. 

Pocket Maps

Get the app to take our maps with you just about anywhere.

Listen to the birds

Published 20 June 2023

Herenga ā Nuku’s communications manager Stephen Day has been spending time with the birds.

I had an eerie feeling a few weekends ago. I was running along some trails near my home, and I suddenly realised I couldn’t hear any noise – there were no birds or insects. It felt unsettling and wrong. Luckily it was a short aberration. Generally, the birds are all around me, hidden in the trees and bush.

It’s almost common knowledge that being out in nature is good for our wellbeing — not just our physical health, but our mental wellbeing too.

Less well known, however, is that contact with birds is an important source of this wellbeing effect.

A recent study in Nature showed that, on average, research participants who saw or heard birds reported their mental wellbeing improved and remained better for several hours. The birds also provided this long-lasting benefit to people with depression.

Another Nature study has shown that listening to birds singing helps reduce anxiety, depression and paranoia. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the same study found that listening to traffic noises worsened people’s wellbeing.

The implications are that we gain real, measurable benefits when we mix active transport, environmental restoration and enhancement of public green spaces. When we spend more time in nature (specifically among birds), and less time sitting in traffic, we are healthier.

Community efforts to restore native bush, eradicate pests, build publicly accessible trails, and create play spaces in the bush are important. They bring back the birds, and they bring us in contact with those birds.

New Zealand is renowned for its birds, and Herenga ā Nuku Aotearoa is a big fan of birds. Last year we led the campaign for the pīwauwau to win Bird of the Year. But we like all the other birds too.

The Washington Post gives some advice to make the most of the bird wellbeing effect when you’re outdoors:

  • Be aware that the birds are there – pay attention when they sing.
  • Learn about them – check out NZ Birds Online to learn more about your feathery friends.
  • Be involved and present –.

And here’s some advice for how you can support NZ birds.

You already knew spending time outdoors was good for you. You maybe just didn’t know the role that birds play. So next time you’re out for a bush walk, horse ride, or bike ride, listen out. When you hear birds, stop for a minute and listen. Sing along if you feel like it. The science is telling you to do it.