Ask a Birder

Ask a Birder: Do birds play?

April 2, 2025 by Kai Pflug No Comments

The short answer is yes – and I will spare you a long explanation how playing needs to be defined first before addressing the issue.

The longer answer addresses some additional questions, namely

What kinds of play do birds do?

  • Playing with objects such as sticks and leaves – for example, tossing or catching these objects
  • Social play, such as chasing, mock fighting, playing tag
  • Aerial acrobatics such as flipping or swooping

Which bird species are particularly playful?

  • Parrots (for example, African Grey Parrots, Keas)
  • Crows and Ravens
  • Magpies

Why do birds play?

  • Mental development/learning
  • Exercise
  • Social bonding
  • Practicing of skills

What does play indicate about the birds?

Research on Australian birds found that both species engaging in social and only non-social play have larger brain sizes than non-playing species. In addition, species engaging in social play have on average longer lifespans than other species. The lead researcher claims that play behavior rather than tool use is strongly correlated with brain size – though there is quite a bit of overlap between the two behaviors, and the study only looked at Australian species.

Bonus Question: Why is all the art I create with AI always so incredibly ugly?

Written by Kai Pflug
Kai has lived in Shanghai for 21 years. He only started birding after moving to China, so he is far more familiar with Chinese birds than the ones back in his native Germany. As a birder, he considers himself strictly average and tries to make up for it with photography, which he shares on a separate website. Alas, most of the photos are pretty average as well.He hopes that few clients of his consulting firm—focused on China’s chemical industry—ever find this blog, as it might raise questions about his professional priorities. Much of his time is spent either editing posts for 10,000 Birds or cleaning the litter boxes of his numerous indoor cats. He occasionally considers writing a piece comparing the two activities.