A bird in the hand: connecting children and wildlife through hands-on experiences with birds

Human-wildlife interactions can strengthen environmental stewardship. Birds in particular harbor significant potential for environmental education and outreach to children. However, the benefits of interacting with birds for children remain unclear. To address this gap, we developed an avian education program by incorporating the ecological method of mist-netting into human dimensions research to understand how hands-on experiences with birds affected children. We used pre- and post-program surveys to examine the impacts of the program on bird knowledge, connection to birds, connection to nature, and environmental values among children (n = 21), aged 11–15 years, who participated in a nature camp in Illinois, U.S.A. We found positive effects of the program on children's psychological connection to birds and nature, whereas knowledge and values were not significantly influenced by participation. Our study is among the first to empirically demonstrate the effectiveness of mist-netting birds in fostering children's penchant for for wildlife conservation.