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Seven Ways for Birds to Attract Scientific Attention

August 20, 2026 by Kai Pflug No Comments

Here are seven pieces of advice for any bird hoping to attract the attention of ornithologists.

1. Live in Europe or North America.
Geographic location is one of the strongest factors affecting research effort. Species in Europe and North America receive much more scientific attention than those in less-studied regions, particularly tropical ones. My hunch is that inaccessible locations, which also have an abundance of leeches and/or mosquitoes, should be particularly avoided. In contrast, breeding on university campuses can be a big advantage.

2. Have a large geographic range.
Widely distributed species receive more research attention. This is probably largely practical: more researchers encounter them, more populations are available for study, and they are easier to access.

3. Be migratory rather than resident.
This is one of the most striking differences in a research paper: migratory species averaged almost ten times as many publications as resident species. Admittedly, some of this difference may be connected with geography, since migration is particularly common among European and North American birds.

4. Live on the mainland, not an island.
Mainland species averaged about five times as many papers as island species. Remoteness deters ornithologists, and many of them presumably do not like boat rides much either.

5. Be large.
Larger species tend to receive more scientific attention than smaller ones. They are easier to observe and also often more charismatic.

6. Be economically important—or cause problems for humans.
Species with economic importance, whether positive or negative, receive much more attention. This applies to gamebirds but also to agricultural pests and species that damage fisheries or crops. For a bird seeking scientific attention, being annoying is an effective strategy.

7. Do not rely on being threatened to attract attention.
Least Concern species averaged more than twice as many papers as threatened species. While this is probably mainly a side effect of the factors listed above, it is still frustrating – being in need of research does not necessarily result in receiving it.

So, much of it seems to come down to convenience. The ideal bird to study is common, large, migratory, economically important, and lives on a university campus in Europe or North America. Evolution, please take note.

Photo: “Umeå University Campus pond-2012-06-06” by MikaelLindmark is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Written by Kai Pflug
Kai has lived in Shanghai for 22 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.