23 Super Fly Gift Ideas for Bird Lovers and Watchers
Bird lovers love birds, but what else do they like? Hint: Stuff that helps them look at birds. 23 examples inside.
Bird watching is more popular than it’s ever been before, with more than 15 million Americans enjoying the hobby as of 2020, and it’s not hard to see why. Birds are some of nature’s most beautiful creatures, and almost everyone can appreciate a good look at one in their natural habitat. It’s not a particularly difficult or expensive interest either, and virtually all bird watchers use different versions of the same essential equipment.
This makes it fairly easy for friends of birders to come up with great gift ideas for them - and that’s what’s we did, so you don’t have to! This gift guide rounds up 23 of the best gifts for bird lovers, ranging from high-quality binoculars and spotting scopes to handmade bird feeders and bird houses. Read on for our top 23 best gifts for bird enthusiasts - if they love birds, they’ll love anything off of this list!
Our list begins with a high-quality iteration of perhaps the most commonly-used bird watching tool there is: a pair of binoculars from global optics manufacturer Celestron! These sturdy specs are waterproof and feature fogproof lenses, as well as rubber armoring for fall damage resistance and built-in mounting points for neck straps and harnesses. These high-performing crystal-coated binos are a great gift for novice bird watchers and expert birders alike - and they even come with a lens cleaning kit!
Another popular optic option is a spotting scope - a telescope-like monocular typically mounted on a tripod. Gosky’s entry sports an 80mm lens capable of 20x to 60x magnification and a dynamic lens focusing system for easy zooming, as well as a nitrogen-filled design for maximum weatherproofing. We included this listing in particular due to its inclusion of a digiscoping adapter - in layman’s terms, a smartphone mount that makes it easy to snap pics of whatever your favorite bird watcher fancies, making it a perfect gift for photography-inclined birders!
If they’ve been bird watching long enough, they’ve spotted noteworthy birdies that flew off just as they got their binoculars out. Help them catch a glimpse of every fetching flier with a binocular harness! This handy rig by reputable outdoor goods manufacturer Badlands keeps their optics at the ready, so when something worth sighting shows up, they’ll have a better chance of getting a good look at it.
Does the bird lover in your life have simpler sensibilities? This ultralight option strips the concept of a binocular harness down to the bare minimum, with only its functional essence remaining. Though it’s little more than rugged shock cord and durable plastic fasteners, it also weighs less than an ounce, so birders who like to keep their gear weight low on hikes will love it!
Is the birder you know hooked on their smartphone camera? Accommodate their preferences with this accessory kit that’ll turn their standard cellular shooter into a high-powered portable photography setup perfect for capturing perfect pictures of some of nature’s most beautiful animals! The set includes a tripod for stable shots, a wireless shutter remote, and six attachable lenses - chief among them an 18x telephoto zoom lens that’s great at scoping out distant birds!
If they’d rather use their own optics with their smartphone, this Gosky adapter mount is for them. With the ability to securely attach almost any phone to binoculars, monoculars, spotting scopes, telescopes, and even microscopes for steady magnification, it’s the perfect companion for those with high-powered smartphone cameras and precision optics they’d like to use together.
We ooh and ahh over the vibrant plumage of our feathered friends, but what do they ooh and ahh over? This bird feeder, of course. Stephen Kitras hand blows glass into a unique, organic shape, with ripples of color that dance when the sun hits them. He finishes each one with a piece of sturdy sisal rope. Once filled with seed or hummingbird nectar, your bird lover friend’s backyard will become even brighter!
These swirling “ice cream” hummingbird feeders are our pick for the prettiest available on Amazon. Their vivid, spiraling glass reservoirs scatter colored light in the sun, and have a 28-ounce capacity that’s great for serving a sizable sum of hummers. They’re also super easy to clean, with a wide-mouthed and two-piece feeder - and it comes with an ant moat to keep hungry bugs from climbing down the hanger for some nectar!
And the award for biggest heart in the animal kingdom goes to…the hummingbird. Proportionally speaking, that is. Their mini but mighty tickers make up 2.5% of their total body weight (sorry, blue whale). Open your favorite bird watcher’s heart and yard to these little cuties with a one-of-a-kind glass feeder. With a flower-shaped tube and an S hook for hanging, the colored crystalline heart reminds thirsty winged friends that they're not only welcome, but unconditionally loved all year long. If someone you know truly loves hummingbirds, this feeder is for them!
This unusual hummingbird feeder design is meant to be attached to a window using suction cups in order to bring hummingbird feeding action up close and personal. Even if your bird-loving friend already has a hummingbird feeder, they’ll love getting a closer look at their one of their favorite birds as they feed, and their local hummers will appreciate having another place to nip a sip - they’re not big on sharing!
Okay, this is the last hummingbird feeder on our list, we swear! Etsy seller Mae Family Arts’ “Kennedy-style” hummingbird feeders stand out from the rest, hand-blown from thick borosilicate glass into a unique design that respects hummingbirds’ solitary feeding behavior and minimizes required maintenance.
Make their back yard (or front yard) into a refreshing oasis for local birds with a VIVOHOME bird bath set! These handsome antique-style polyresin bird baths come with solar-powered fountain inserts that help attract birds and make it easier for them to drink and bathe and eliminate the need for an unsightly power cord snaking across their yard.
Is your favorite bird lover yearning to service dirty and thirsty birds in colder climates? A heated bird bath should do the trick! This electronic bird bath features a handsome natural design and a thermostatically-controlled heating element that only turns on when needed to minimize power use. And with a three-liter capacity, they won’t have to brave the elements to refill it quite as often!
If they’ve already got a bird bath but have trouble keeping it from turning into a bird ice skating rink when temperatures drop, they’ll appreciate this super-simple bird bath heater! This intuitive de-icer couldn’t be easier to use - just plug it in and put it in a bird bath to ensure its water never freezes again - until the next ice age hits, that is.
Bird lovers love birds, so anything that can put more birds in their life is generally a perfect gift idea for bird enthusiasts - and these cedar bird houses do just that. While it’s built to National Audubon Society specifications to be ideal for inhabitation by wrens and chickadees, it’ll make a comfortable home to a variety of bird species and give your favorite bird person plenty to look at in their own yard!
Want to get them something a little fancier?These more upscale cedar bird houses by Whitehorse are aimed at attracting bluebirds, but will safely house many different bird species of similar size. Their future guests will appreciate some extra features including inverted rain gutters, a mesh floor with drainage, a stainless steel entrance shield, and an inch-thick predator guard to discourage potential intruders.
Add beauty to their backyard with a gorgeous stained glass hummingbird wind chime! These handcrafted ornaments add light and life to any space, whether hung from a low branch or brought inside, and its single bell rings out at stiffer breezes without making too much noise.
Are they just getting into bird watching? Sharon Stiteler’s beginner-friendly field guide will walk them through the basics of birding, from recommending equipment to submitting sightings to their local wildlife conservation organizations. It also includes full-color photos and notes on 150 common North Americanbird species that are well-organized for shorter searches - something they’ll appreciate when they’re scrambling to identify that pretty little birdie that just landed in their backyard!
This historic reference text is a newer publication of the original bird guide by David Allen Sibley, a skilled author, masterful illustrator, and bird lover at heart. The third edition reproduces nearly 7,000 of his breathtaking hand-painted artworks larger and in greater detail using modern digital remastering techniques for the most impressive image quality yet. Birders are sure to appreciate his work and enjoy leafing through its depictions and descriptions of rare bird species and hundreds of maps, making this a perfect gift for the artsy birder you know!
While they may be more famous for their exciting and awe-inspiring nature documentaries featuring eye-catching animals like wolves, lions, and whales, National Geographic is an authority on flying things as well. Their most recent compendium of ornithological knowledge is a treasure trove of thousands of detailed annotated artworks and information on over a thousand species and subspecies, making it the most comprehensive single-volume bird guide in existence and a great gift for birders of every feather!
Whether they want to attract birds for a good look or set up a jam session with their local songbirds, the AudubonBird Call is a simple yet shockingly effective way to get the job done. This tiny wood and metal device emits realistic birdcall sounds with a twisting motion and comes with a capsule of powdered resin for maintenance. They’ll love summoning wild birds from miles away!
Does the bird enthusiast in your life have a pet bird of their own? Their favorite feathered friend will love this four-story bird playground! With plenty of perches and fun places to sit, swing, and snack and a removable metal tray for easy cleanup, this 37-inch pine wood jungle gym will make fans of birds and bird owners alike. Too big? Smaller sizes are also available!
Immortalize their favorite bird with a custom-painted portrait! Just get a good shot of their beloved birdie for reference and this Etsy-based artist will whip up a stunning likeness of your feather-friendly friend’s feathered friend in surprisingly short order, and offers a variety of sizes to suit any budget. Even if they don’t have a pet bird, you can just as easily commission a picture of a bird of their favorite species for a one-of-a-kind unique gift no matter what!