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The best Christmas gifts for birders are the ones they use on every walk: a pair of 8×42 binoculars if they are still using an old or cheap pair, a binocular harness, the Sibley Guide to Birds and a weatherproof notebook. For bird lovers who watch from home, a camera bird feeder, a squirrel-proof feeder or a heated bird bath brings more birds to the window in winter. For people who love birds but do not go birding, pick the Wingspan board game, a Charley Harper bird puzzle or a glass bird ornament.
My first life list lived in a spiral school notebook. On a cold, wet Christmas Bird Count morning in my early twenties the pages soaked through in my coat pocket, the pencil smeared, and I spent that evening rewriting the day’s tally from memory. The next Christmas a friend who had heard the story gave me a pack of waterproof field notebooks. I filled every one of them. The bird-print scarf I got the same year is still folded in a drawer. Birders on Reddit’s r/birding say the same thing every December: give gear that gets used on the next walk, or something that brings birds closer to home. This guide follows that rule and ends with the bird-themed gifts that do get used.
Christmas gifts for bird lovers at a glance
| Gift | Best for | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Celestron Nature DX 8×42 | A first real pair of binoculars | Optics |
| Athlon Midas UHD 8×42 | Upgrading from a starter pair | Optics |
| Nikon Monarch M5 8×42 | Glasses wearers | Optics |
| Vortex Binocular Harness | Every birder with a neck strap | Optics |
| LensPen Lens Cleaning Pen | Stockings | Optics |
| Nikon Coolpix P950 | Birders who want photos | Big gift |
| Birdfy Smart Bird Feeder | Camera feeder with free bird ID | Smart feeder |
| Bird Buddy Pro Solar | The most polished feeder app | Smart feeder |
| Haikubox Bird Song Identifier | Birders who have everything | Big gift |
| Squirrel Buster Plus | Yards with squirrels | Backyard |
| Nature Anywhere Window Feeder | Apartments and kitchen windows | Backyard |
| GESAIL Heated Bird Bath | Winter water | Backyard |
| More Birds Double Suet Feeder | Woodpeckers in winter | Backyard |
| Nature's Way Cedar Bluebird House | Spring nesting | Backyard |
| WindowAlert Anti-Collision Decals | Homes with big windows | Backyard |
| The Sibley Guide to Birds, 2nd Edition | Every birder | Book |
| The Sibley Birder's Life List and Field Diary | Keeping a life list | Book |
| What It's Like to Be a Bird | Backyard bird watchers | Book |
| The Bird Way | Science readers | Book |
| What an Owl Knows | Owl fans | Book |
| Kingbird Highway | Big Year dreamers | Book |
| Bird Songs: 250 North American Birds in Song | Learning songs and calls | Book |
| The Laws Guide to Drawing Birds | Birders who sketch | Book |
| Wingspan Board Game | Family game night | Home |
| Charley Harper Birducopia Puzzle | Christmas week at home | Home |
| Old World Christmas Chickadee Ornament | The family tree | Home |
| Audubon Birds Page-A-Day Calendar 2027 | A desk at work | Home |
| Birds on a Wire Heat-Changing Mug | Morning coffee at the window | Home |
| Rite in the Rain Field Notebooks | Rainy-day field notes | Stocking stuffer |
| Sibley Birder's Trivia Card Game | Stockings | Stocking stuffer |
| Wild Republic Audubon Cardinal Plush | Kids 3 and up | Kids |
| National Geographic Kids Bird Guide of North America | Kids 8 to 12 | Kids |
| Noptix Real Kids Binoculars 8×21 | Kids 4 to 8 | Kids |
Binoculars and optics for birders
Binoculars are the one gift a birder notices every time they raise them. The standard birding size is 8×42: eight times magnification with 42 mm front lenses. Eight power is steady enough to hold by hand and wide enough to find a warbler moving through leaves. The 42 mm lenses let in enough light for dawn and dusk. Ten power brings birds closer but shakes more and shows a narrower view, which is why most birders start with 8x.
I learned what fog-proofing means at a field station in Costa Rica. At dawn the humidity fogged a borrowed pair of cheap binoculars from the inside, and the first trogon I ever saw was a green blur. Every pair below is waterproof and gas-purged, so that does not happen. If the person on your list already owns good binoculars, skip to the harness and the lens pen: they fit any pair. For more models, budget to premium, see our best binoculars for bird watching.
Best first binoculars
1. Celestron Nature DX 8×42
The Nature DX is the pair that comes up most often when someone on r/birding asks what to buy a new birder on a budget. It has phase-coated BaK-4 roof prisms and fully multi-coated lenses, the two features that separate real birding binoculars from the toy-grade pairs sold at the same size. It is waterproof, fog-proof and covered by Celestron’s limited lifetime warranty.
Buy it for someone who is birding with an old hand-me-down pair or none at all. A serious birder will already own something better.
- 8x magnification, 42 mm lenses, 388 ft field of view at 1,000 yards
- 17.5 mm eye relief
- Comes with a case, a neck strap, lens caps and a rainguard
Good: the most recommended starter pair, with over 4,000 Amazon ratings. Not great: heavier than the Nikon, and the image is less sharp at the edges than ED-glass pairs.
Best mid-range binoculars
2. Athlon Midas UHD 8×42
The Midas UHD adds ED glass, which cuts the purple and green color fringing you see around a dark bird against a bright sky. It also has dielectric prism coatings for a brighter image and a wide 8.1 degree field of view, which makes it easier to find a moving bird. Athlon covers it with a lifetime warranty that transfers to a new owner.
This is the pair to give someone who has birded for a year or two with a starter pair and keeps asking to look through other people’s binoculars on group walks.
- ED glass with dielectric prism coating
- 8.1 degree field of view, 17.2 mm eye relief
- Argon purged, waterproof, 1.6 lb
Good: ED glass and a wide view at a mid-range price. Not great: the case and strap are basic; pair it with the harness below.
Best for glasses wearers
3. Nikon Monarch M5 8×42
Eyeglass wearers need long eye relief: the distance from the eyepiece at which the full view still reaches the eye. With short eye relief, someone in glasses sees a tunnel or has to take the glasses off for every bird. The Monarch M5 has 19.5 mm, the longest of the three pairs here, plus turn-and-slide eyecups that lock at several heights.
It is also the lightest of the three full-size pairs here and focuses as close as 8.2 ft, close enough for butterflies and birds at a feeder.
- ED glass, dielectric prism coatings
- 19.5 mm eye relief, close focus 8.2 ft
- 1.4 lb, waterproof and fog-proof
Good: long eye relief from a brand birders trust. Not great: a narrower field of view (335 ft at 1,000 yards) than the Celestron.
Best accessory for any binoculars
4. Vortex Binocular Harness Strap
A harness was the first answer in an r/birding thread asking for a moderately priced gift for a new birdwatcher. A neck strap puts the full weight of the binoculars on the back of the neck, and after a three-hour walk that weight shows. The Vortex harness spreads it across both shoulders and holds the binoculars against the chest so they do not swing when the birder bends or climbs.
The straps stretch, so the binoculars still come up to the eyes in one move. It fits any brand of binoculars with standard strap lugs.
- Nylon and Lycra straps that slide when raised
- One size, fully adjustable
- Fits binoculars, rangefinders and small cameras
Good: useful to every birder, with over 4,000 ratings. Not great: some birders find it warm under a light shirt in summer.
Best stocking stuffer for optics
5. LensPen Lens Cleaning Pen
Birders clean their lenses with whatever is at hand: a shirt tail, a tissue, a sleeve. All of those scratch the coatings over time. The LensPen has a soft retractable brush at one end for dust and a carbon cleaning tip at the other for fingerprints and smudges, with no liquid to spill or freeze.
It slips into a binocular case or a jacket pocket and works on binoculars, scopes, phone lenses and glasses.
- Retractable brush plus carbon cleaning tip
- No fluids, nothing to dry out
- Safe on coated optics
Good: small, cheap and used every week. Not great: the carbon tip wears down after many cleanings and the pen has to be replaced.
Best camera for bird photos
6. Nikon Coolpix P950
Many birders want photos of what they see, both to share and to confirm an ID later. A DSLR with a long lens is heavy and expensive. The Coolpix P950 is a superzoom bridge camera with an 83x zoom that reaches the equivalent of 2,000 mm, long enough to fill the frame with a bird across a pond. It has a dedicated Bird-watching mode, records 4K video and shoots RAW files.
It is a big gift for a birder who already has good binoculars and keeps taking blurry phone photos through them.
- 83x optical zoom, 24 to 2,000 mm equivalent
- Bird-watching mode, 4K video, RAW
- Electronic viewfinder and tilting 3.2 in screen
Good: the longest zoom in a camera most birders can carry all day. Not great: its small sensor gives grainy photos in low light; check the seller, since this listing is sold by a third party.
Smart bird feeders and song detectors
“Bird feeder with camera” gets more searches on Bing than any binocular term. A camera feeder sends a phone alert when a bird lands, saves a photo or clip and names the species. It turns a bird lover’s feeder into something they can check from the office. Two things to know before you buy: the feeder needs a Wi-Fi signal where it hangs, and some brands put bird ID behind a paid subscription.
If your budget does not stretch to a smart feeder, the free Merlin Bird ID app from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology identifies birds from a photo or from a song recorded on a phone. Set it up on the person’s phone as part of any gift in this guide.
Best camera feeder without a subscription
7. Birdfy Smart Bird Feeder with 2K Camera
Birdfy by Netvue gives unlimited AI bird ID on its free Basic plan, so the person receiving it does not inherit a monthly bill. The feeder holds 1.5 liters of seed and records 2K video with color night vision, so it also catches the raccoons and opossums that visit after dark. A solar panel keeps the battery topped up.
In an r/birding thread from a parent shopping for a teenage birder, Birdfy and Bird Buddy were the two smart feeders named as having good reviews.
- 2K camera with color night vision
- Free unlimited AI bird ID on the Basic plan
- Solar panel and battery, 1.5 liter seed capacity, wall, pole or tree mount
Good: no subscription needed for bird ID. Not great: paid plans exist for extra features, and the feeder needs 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi where it hangs.
Best smart feeder app
8. Bird Buddy Pro Solar Smart Bird Feeder
Bird Buddy is the best-known camera feeder and the one with the most social app: every visit becomes a “postcard” in a collection, and the app can recognize individual birds and flag signs of illness. The Pro has a larger 2K HDR sensor than the original model, slow-motion video and a solar roof that keeps it charged.
Bird Buddy’s listing states that its AI features need a Premium subscription. Budget for that in the gift or choose the Birdfy above.
- 2K video and 5 MP photos with HDR
- Solar roof plus USB-C charging
- Hanger and pole mount included
Good: the most polished app and photo collections. Not great: a Premium subscription is required for AI features, and the seed hopper is smaller than Birdfy’s.
Best gift for a birder who has everything
9. Haikubox Bird Song and Call Identifier
A camera only sees the birds that come to the feeder. A Haikubox listens. It mounts outside near a power outlet, connects to Wi-Fi and identifies birds by their songs and calls 24 hours a day, then lists every species it hears in an app. The model behind it is BirdNET, developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
One r/birding user posted a homemade version as their best Christmas gift, and the thread filled with people asking where to buy one. The owner said it kept detecting redpolls, a bird she had never seen in person.
- 24/7 song and call identification
- Weatherproof, needs an outdoor outlet and Wi-Fi
- Species lists and recordings in the app
Good: finds the birds nobody sees. Not great: few Amazon ratings so far, and it must be within reach of power and a Wi-Fi signal.
Backyard gifts for bird lovers
Winter is when a backyard feeding station does the most good and the most birds show up at it. My mother kept a concrete bird bath outside her kitchen window. Every January morning it froze solid, and she carried out a kettle of warm water before breakfast. By noon it was ice again, and the starlings and juncos lined up on the rim waiting. A heated bath would have saved her the trips. The gifts below bring birds closer, keep squirrels off the seed and keep birds off the windows.
Feeders and baths need regular cleaning to keep from spreading disease. Audubon recommends washing feeders about every two weeks, and more often in wet weather. Choose gifts that come apart for washing; every pick below does.
Best squirrel-proof feeder
10. Brome Squirrel Buster Plus
When a squirrel climbs onto the Squirrel Buster Plus, its weight pulls a metal shroud down over the six feeding ports and the seed is gone. Birds are light enough to feed normally, and the spring tension can be set so heavy birds like grackles are shut out too. The Cardinal Ring around the base gives cardinals the wide perch they prefer.
It holds 5.1 lb of seed, comes apart by hand for cleaning and has over 10,000 Amazon ratings. Brome backs it with lifetime care, including replacement parts.
- Weight-activated shroud closes the ports
- 5.1 lb seed capacity, 6 ports
- Comes apart without tools for washing
Good: actually stops squirrels. Not great: it needs a pole or a hook away from jumping spots; squirrels can still leap onto the top if it hangs too close to a branch.
Best for apartments
11. Nature Anywhere Window Bird Feeder
A window feeder sticks to the outside of the glass with suction cups and puts birds a few inches from the person watching. It is the best gift for a bird lover in an apartment or a home with no yard. This one has four heavy suction cups, a clear roof and a seed tray that slides out for refilling and cleaning without taking the feeder down.
Clean the glass before mounting and press each cup hard. Windows that face a tree or a hedge get birds fastest.
- Four heavy-duty suction cups
- Slide-out tray with drain holes
- 10 x 10 in, holds about 15 oz of seed
Good: birds at eye level from the kitchen table, with over 11,000 ratings. Not great: squirrels can reach it if it is within jumping distance of a ledge or branch.
Best winter gift for backyard birds
12. GESAIL Heated Bird Bath
A heated bird bath keeps a shallow bowl of water open in freezing weather. Birds need water for drinking and for preening in winter, and once ponds and puddles freeze it can be harder to find than food. A heated bath often draws species that never visit a seed feeder, like bluebirds, robins and waxwings.
This one has a 75 W thermostatic heater that turns on only when needed and mounts three ways: on a deck rail, clamped to a post or on its own legs. The bowl lifts off for cleaning.
- 75 W heater with built-in thermostat
- Deck, clamp or ground mount, hardware included
- Removable shallow bowl, 13 in across
Good: open water all winter. Not great: needs an outdoor outlet; use a cord rated for outdoor use.
Best inexpensive feeder
13. More Birds Double Suet Cake Feeder
Suet is beef fat pressed into cakes, often with seed or insects mixed in. It is high-energy food for woodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees and wrens in cold weather. One new birder in an r/birding gift thread said suet cakes in a wire holder were the thing they wanted most. This feeder holds two cakes in separate cages under a roof that keeps rain off.
Add a few suet cakes to the gift box. In summer, use the no-melt kind or take the feeder down.
- Holds two standard suet cakes
- Powder-coated steel with weather guard roof
- Hangs from a hook or pole
Good: cheap, durable and brings woodpeckers. Not great: starlings love suet too.
Best gift for spring
14. Nature’s Way Cedar Bluebird House
Eastern bluebirds start looking for nest sites in late winter, so a nest box given at Christmas goes up at the right time. This cedar box has the features NestWatch lists for a good nest box: vents in the walls and floor, a side door for cleaning out old nests between broods and grooves inside so the young can climb out. A wooden predator guard thickens the entrance hole so raccoon and cat paws cannot reach the eggs.
Mount it on a pole in an open area with short grass, facing away from prevailing winds.
- Cedar construction with wall and floor vents
- Clean-out door
- Predator guard on the entrance hole
Good: built to the details that matter for nesting birds. Not great: a pole and a pole baffle are sold separately.
Best conservation gift
15. WindowAlert Anti-Collision Decals
Window strikes kill between 365 million and 988 million birds a year in the United States, according to a 2014 study in The Condor. Birds see the sky or plants reflected in the glass and fly into it. Feeders near large windows make it worse. WindowAlert decals reflect ultraviolet light, which birds see and people barely notice.
Give them with a feeder. Space them closely across the outside of the glass: the American Bird Conservancy recommends markings no more than 2 inches apart for the best protection, so buy several packs for a big window.
- Pack of 5 leaf decals, 2.5 to 3.5 in
- UV-reflective static cling, no adhesive
- Apply to the outside of clean glass
Good: a small gift that saves birds. Not great: widely spaced decals reduce strikes but do not stop them.
Bird books and field guides
Most birders own one field guide and wish they owned another. Field guides come in two kinds: the large guide that covers a whole continent and lives at home, and the smaller regional guide that goes in a pocket. If you do not know which one the person has, a book about bird behavior or a birding memoir is safer than a second field guide.
Best field guide
16. The Sibley Guide to Birds, 2nd Edition
David Sibley painted every illustration in this guide himself, and birders treat it as the standard reference for North America. The second edition covers 923 species with about 7,000 paintings showing birds in each plumage, in flight and at rest. Sibley’s Guide was the top field guide recommendation in r/birding gift threads, and one commenter ranked the authors Sibley, Peterson, Kaufman and National Geographic, in that order.
This full edition is heavy and stays on the shelf. For a field-sized book, choose The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America or Sibley Birds West, depending on where the person lives.
- Covers all of North America
- About 7,000 paintings by Sibley
- Flexibound, about 600 pages
Good: the guide birders reach for first. Not great: too big to carry in the field.
Best gift for list keepers
17. The Sibley Birder’s Life List and Field Diary
A life list is a record of every species a birder has ever seen, and most birders keep one. This book lists the birds of North America with space next to each for the date and place of the first sighting, plus field diary pages for notes. It was recommended in an r/birding thread for a teenage birder as a fun way to track sightings.
Apps like eBird keep lists too, but a book of first sightings becomes a keepsake.
- Checklist of North American species
- Space for date and location of each sighting
- Field diary pages with Sibley illustrations
Good: personal, and gets more valuable each year. Not great: serious listers may already keep their list on eBird.
Best book for backyard bird watchers
18. What It’s Like to Be a Bird
A field guide shows what a bird looks like. This book explains what it is doing: why woodpeckers do not get headaches, how birds sleep, why crows gather in winter. Sibley organizes it around common birds people see every day, with a large painting on each spread. One r/birding user said this book and the Sibley Guide were big hits with his wife when she started birding.
It works for people who love the birds at their feeder and will never chase a rarity.
- About 200 species, mostly common backyard birds
- Large paintings by Sibley
- Hardcover
Good: answers the questions bird lovers ask. Not great: it is a coffee-table size, not a field book.
Best bird science book
19. The Bird Way by Jennifer Ackerman
Jennifer Ackerman writes about recent research on bird behavior: birds that use fire to flush prey, birds that cooperate to raise young, birds that trick other species. The Bird Way is organized around how birds talk, work, play, parent and think. Her earlier book, The Genius of Birds, is a good second choice if the person already owns this one.
- Recent research on bird behavior
- Written for general readers
- Paperback
Good: changes how a reader watches the birds at a feeder. Not great: more science than story.
Best book for owl fans
20. What an Owl Knows by Jennifer Ackerman
Owls are the birds people who do not bird still love, which makes this a good gift for a bird lover who is not a birder. Ackerman covers how owls hear prey under snow, how they fly in silence and what researchers are learning from tracking them.
- Owl science for general readers
- Paperback
- By the author of The Bird Way
Good: an easy pick for an owl lover. Not great: covers owls only.
Best birding memoir
21. Kingbird Highway by Kenn Kaufman
At 16, Kenn Kaufman dropped out of high school to hitchhike around North America trying to see as many birds as possible in one year. Kingbird Highway is his account of the 1973 Big Year: sleeping in ditches, living on cat food and seeing 666 species. Kaufman went on to write his own field guides. Birders recommend the book to anyone who has watched The Big Year and wondered what the real thing was like.
- True story of a 1973 Big Year
- By the author of the Kaufman field guides
- Paperback
Good: the classic birding adventure story. Not great: some details of 1970s birding have dated.
Best for learning songs
22. Bird Songs: 250 North American Birds in Song
Most birds are heard before they are seen, and learning songs is the skill new birders say is hardest. This book has a built-in audio player with recordings from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Macaulay Library. Each page has an illustration and a short account, and a number to press to hear the song.
It is a good gift for a beginner, an older bird lover who does not use apps or a child who likes buttons.
- 250 species with recorded songs
- Built-in audio player, batteries included
- Recordings from the Macaulay Library
Good: teaches songs without a phone. Not great: the speaker is small; Merlin does more for anyone with a smartphone.
Best for birders who sketch
23. The Laws Guide to Drawing Birds
Drawing a bird forces the artist to look at it closely, which is why many birders keep a sketchbook. John Muir Laws teaches bird drawing step by step, from basic shapes to feathers, with an introduction by David Sibley. It was recommended in an r/birding gift thread for a partner who sketches the birds he sees.
Add a small sketchbook and a set of pencils and it becomes a full gift.
- Step-by-step lessons from basic shapes to feathers
- Foreword by David Allen Sibley
- Paperback
Good: useful for beginners and experienced artists. Not great: only for someone who wants to draw.
Gifts for bird lovers at home
These are the bird-themed gifts birders and bird lovers do use: games, puzzles, things for the tree and the coffee mug. They also suit people who love birds but never go birding.
Best gift for the whole family
24. Wingspan Board Game
Wingspan was the most upvoted answer in two separate r/birding gift threads. Players attract birds to wildlife preserves, and each of its 170 bird cards has an illustration and a real fact about the species. It won the 2019 Kennerspiel des Jahres, one of the top awards in board games. Commenters noted it is fun for people who know nothing about birds, so the whole family can play it together on Christmas Day.
Expansions add birds from Europe, Oceania, Asia and the Americas if the person already owns it.
- 1 to 5 players, about 70 minutes
- 170 illustrated bird cards
- Expansions sold separately
Good: the bird gift birders ask for most. Not great: takes a game or two to learn.
Best puzzle
25. Charley Harper Birducopia 1,000-Piece Puzzle
Charley Harper painted birds in flat colors and simple geometric shapes, and his work is a favorite among birders. Birducopia fills a 1,000-piece puzzle with dozens of his birds. Pomegranate prints it on thick board, and the pieces fit tightly enough that a finished puzzle can be moved.
- 1,000 pieces, about 20 x 27 in finished
- Charley Harper artwork
- Thick, tight-fitting pieces
Good: a classic among birders. Not great: Harper’s flat colors make some sections hard.
Best ornament
26. Old World Christmas Cheery Chickadee Clip-On Ornament
Old World Christmas makes mouth-blown, hand-painted glass bird ornaments that clip onto a branch so the bird looks perched rather than hanging. The chickadee is one of dozens of species they make, from bluebirds to cardinals to blue jays. One r/birding couple said they buy an ornament of each common bird at their feeder and now have a tree with 12 to 14 of them.
Start someone’s collection with the bird they see most often.
- Mouth-blown, hand-painted glass
- Clip-on base
- Many species in the same series
Good: a gift that grows into a tradition. Not great: glass, so pack it carefully if you ship it.
Best calendar
27. Audubon Birds Page-A-Day Calendar 2027
A bird photo for every day of the year, with the species name and a short note on each page. Workman and the National Audubon Society have published it for years, and it is a popular desk gift for a bird lover at work. Each page is a reminder of a bird to look for.
- 365 bird photos with species notes
- Desk calendar with an easel back
- Published with the National Audubon Society
Good: a bird a day for a full year. Not great: it is dated, so it has to be given before January.
Best mug
28. Unemployed Philosophers Guild Birds on a Wire Mug
When it is cold, the mug shows black silhouettes of birds sitting on a wire. Pour in coffee and 18 species appear in full color. It is the kind of small gift that makes a bird lover look twice every morning, and it comes in a gift box.
- 12 oz ceramic mug
- 18 species appear when hot
- Gift box included
Good: fun, and the birds are real species. Not great: hand wash only.
Best stocking stuffer for field birders
29. Rite in the Rain Weatherproof Notebooks, 3 Pack
Rite in the Rain paper repels water, so notes taken in rain or snow stay readable. Field researchers use it, and birders use it for counts, sketches and notes on birds they cannot identify yet. These pocket notebooks have wire binding that keeps its shape in a pack. Write with a pencil or an all-weather pen when the paper is wet.
It is the gift I would have wanted on that soaked Christmas Bird Count.
- Pack of 3, 4.625 x 7 in
- Weatherproof paper, 64 pages each
- Wire-O binding
Good: cheap, useful and it lasts. Not great: ballpoint pens skip on wet pages; add a pencil.
Best stocking stuffer for bird lovers
30. Sibley Birder’s Trivia Card Game
400 trivia questions written by David Sibley, sorted by difficulty so beginners and expert birders can play together. Each card has a Sibley illustration. It fits in a stocking or a glove box for the car ride to a birding trip.
- 400 questions at several levels
- Sibley illustrations
- Small box
Good: easy to play anywhere. Not great: experts will know most of the easy cards.
Gifts for kids who love birds
A child who loves birds needs the same basics as an adult birder: something to see birds with and a book to find them in. Kids also like gifts that make noise and can be carried around. Our bird identification quiz is a good free extra once they have a field guide.
Best for young kids
31. Wild Republic Audubon Northern Cardinal Plush
Squeeze the bird and it plays the real song of a northern cardinal, recorded with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Wild Republic makes the Audubon series in dozens of species. They are about 5 inches long, which makes them good stocking stuffers for kids and, judging by r/birding, for many adult birders too.
- Plays the real cardinal song
- About 5 in, surface washable
- Licensed by the National Audubon Society
Good: teaches a song every time it is squeezed. Not great: the sound box is not replaceable.
Best field guide for kids
32. National Geographic Kids Bird Guide of North America
A real field guide written for children ages 8 to 12, with photos, range maps and short facts for about 150 species. It is organized like an adult guide, so it teaches kids how a field guide works before they move up to Sibley.
- About 150 species with photos and maps
- Written for ages 8 to 12
- Paperback
Good: a real guide at a kid’s reading level. Not great: covers far fewer birds than an adult guide.
Best binoculars for young kids
33. Noptix Real Kids Binoculars 8×21
These are real 8×21 roof-prism binoculars sized for small hands, with soft rubber armor and flexible eyecups. They come with a bird sticker book. They suit kids from about 4 to 8.
For a child of 10 or older who is serious about birding, buy real birding binoculars instead. One r/birding commenter pointed out that a young child’s eyes may be too close together for full-size 8x42s, so an 8×32 pair is a better fit until the early teens.
- 8×21 roof prism, rubber armored
- Sized for ages 4 to 8
- Bird sticker book included
Good: real optics that survive drops. Not great: too small and dim for an older child who birds seriously.
Membership and experience gifts
Serious birders often have the gear they want. The best gift I received in my first year of birding was a dawn walk with a local Audubon volunteer who knew every call in the woods. These gifts cost little or nothing to wrap, and several fund bird conservation.
A Cornell Lab of Ornithology membership or Bird Academy course. Members support the lab behind Merlin and eBird and receive Living Bird magazine. Bird Academy sells online courses on bird ID, songs and bird photography. In an r/birding thread about a gift for a birding teacher, a Bird Academy course was called the best suggestion.
An Audubon membership. A National Audubon Society membership includes Audubon magazine and connects the person to their local chapter, which runs free bird walks.
A Federal Duck Stamp. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service puts 98 percent of the Federal Duck Stamp purchase price into buying and protecting wetland habitat for the National Wildlife Refuge System. Birders buy it each year as a conservation contribution, and it gives free entry to refuges that charge a fee.
A national park pass. The America the Beautiful pass covers entry to national parks and wildlife refuges for a year, which makes every birding trip cheaper. It was suggested in two gift threads.
Bird Friendly coffee. Coffee certified by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center is grown under shade trees that give migrating songbirds winter habitat in Latin America. Look for the Bird Friendly seal from a local roaster.
A spot on the Christmas Bird Count. Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count runs from December 14 to January 5 every year and is free to join. Sign up with a beginner and go together. Read our benefits of birdwatching for more on why community science counts matter.
Gifts to skip
Funny bird books everyone else is buying. One r/birding user said they had received The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America as a gift three separate times. Another wrote that it was funny for ten minutes and then sat on a shelf, and that several birder friends had received it more than once. If the person is known as a birder, assume someone else will give it.
Zoom binoculars and tiny high-power binoculars. Zoom binoculars and compact pairs sold at 10×25 or 12×25 have small lenses and dim, narrow views that make birds hard to find. An 8×42 is the better buy at almost any budget.
Cheap seed mixes. Bags with a lot of red millet, milo or wheat get kicked to the ground by most backyard birds. Black oil sunflower seed is the seed most feeder birds eat.
Decor for people who do not decorate with birds. A bird-print pillow or a cardinal figurine is a gift for someone who collects bird decor. For a birder, a gift they use on the next walk is the safer choice.
A pet bird. Parrots and other pet birds live for decades and need daily care. The ASPCA supports pets as gifts only when the recipient has shown a lasting interest and can care for the animal.
How to choose a gift for a birder or bird lover
Ask whether they bird away from home. A field birder who goes on walks uses optics, field guides and notebooks. A backyard bird lover gets more from feeders, a heated bath and a camera feeder. Many people do both.
Look at their binoculars. If they are small, cheap or very old, new 8×42 binoculars are the most useful gift you can give. If they are a known brand in good condition, buy a harness or a lens pen instead. Ask whether they wear glasses: long eye relief matters.
Check which field guide they own. Look at the shelf or the car. If they own Sibley, a book about bird behavior is better than a second guide.
Match the region. Field guides and calendars split into East and West. Pick the one for where the person lives and birds.
Think about winter. Christmas falls in the season when feeders, suet and open water matter most to birds, and when a bird lover spends the most time at the window. Our guides to red birds and yellow birds help with IDs at the feeder, and the best hummingbird feeders are a good gift to have ready for spring.
Shopping for more animal people? See our Christmas gifts for dog lovers, Christmas gifts for cat lovers, Christmas gifts for horse owners and the rest of our buying guides.
FAQ
What do you get a birder for Christmas?
Something they use on every walk: 8×42 binoculars if theirs are old or cheap, a binocular harness, the Sibley Guide to Birds, a weatherproof field notebook or a lens cleaning pen. For a birder who has everything, a Haikubox song detector, the Wingspan board game or a Cornell Lab or Audubon membership are good choices.
What is a good gift for a bird lover who does not go birding?
A camera bird feeder, a window feeder, a heated bird bath, the book What It’s Like to Be a Bird, the Wingspan board game, a Charley Harper bird puzzle or a glass bird ornament of their favorite species.
What are good stocking stuffers for birders?
A LensPen lens cleaning pen, Rite in the Rain weatherproof notebooks, WindowAlert window decals, an Audubon plush bird that plays a real song, the Sibley Birder’s Trivia card game or a clip-on glass bird ornament.
What binoculars should I buy a birder as a gift?
An 8×42 pair that is waterproof and fog-proof. The Celestron Nature DX is the most recommended starter pair, the Athlon Midas UHD adds ED glass for a sharper image, and the Nikon Monarch M5 has the long eye relief that glasses wearers need.
Is a Bird Buddy a good gift?
Yes for a bird lover with a feeder in Wi-Fi range, but its AI features need a Premium subscription. The Birdfy smart feeder gives free unlimited bird ID on its basic plan, so it does not hand the recipient a monthly bill.
What do birders not want as gifts?
Birders say they receive The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America over and over, along with bird-print decor they do not use. Zoom binoculars, tiny high-power binoculars and cheap seed mixes full of millet and milo are also poor choices.
What is a good experience gift for a birder?
A Cornell Lab Bird Academy course, an Audubon membership, a Federal Duck Stamp, a national park pass, a guided bird walk with a local Audubon chapter or a trip to a birding hotspot, such as a boat tour to see puffins.
What is a good bird gift for a child?
A Wild Republic Audubon plush bird that plays a real song for young children, the National Geographic Kids Bird Guide of North America for ages 8 to 12, and real kids binoculars. For a child 10 or older who birds seriously, buy a compact 8×32 pair of real birding binoculars.
Sources
- Loss, S. R., et al. (2014). Bird-building collisions in the United States: Estimates of annual mortality and species vulnerability. The Condor 116(1).
- American Bird Conservancy. Preventing Glass Collisions.
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology. NestWatch.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Federal Duck Stamp.
- National Audubon Society. Christmas Bird Count.
- Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. Smithsonian Bird Friendly.
- r/birding. Gift ideas for a birder?
- r/birding. Gift recommendations for a young birder.
- r/birding. What’s a moderately priced gift idea for a new birdwatcher?
- r/birding. Gift ideas for my budding birder?
- r/birding. Help us get a gift for our bird-obsessed teacher!!
- r/birding. My coolest Christmas gift courtesy of my partner.
