birder

American  

[bur-der] / ˈbɜr dər /

noun

1. a person who raises birds.

2. bird watcher.

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Etymology

Origin of birder

1475–85 for earlier sense “bird-catcher”; 1820–30 birder for def. 1; bird + -er ¹

Explanation

A birder is someone who spends a lot of time outside looking for nuthatches, finches, orioles, and woodpeckers. If you're a fan of flying feathered friends, you should get some binoculars and become a birder! Birders are fascinated by birds of all kinds. Before the 20th century, this word referred to people who catch birds, but these days it's a synonym for "bird watcher." Some birders spend a lot of their free time adding birds to their life list: searching for the rare Kirtland's Warbler in Michigan or excitedly identifying a limpkin near a Florida marsh. Even if you just enjoy watching chickadees on your backyard bird feeder, you can still call yourself a birder.

Example Sentences

“I literally walk out and I talk to my plants. I’m starting to become a birder as well. All things I would never imagine a boy from Philadelphia would become.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

In fact, any birder will tell you that the sky-rending screech that accompanies bald eagles in most media depictions actually belongs to a red-tailed hawk.

From Slate • Feb. 21, 2026

Gray became a birder overnight and has been frequenting Tompkins Square Park during migration seasons ever since.

From Salon • Jul. 29, 2025

My husband is a hiker, a birder, a nature person.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 18, 2024

This answer doesn’t match with the other facts he knows about Dr. Martin: that she’s a birder, that she heals injured animals, that she returns birds to the sky, to their families.

From "A Bird Will Soar" by Alison Green Myers