Study shows that Birds Boost Mental Health

Researchers at King’s College London have found that daily encounters with birds improves the mood of people with depression, as well as with the general population. Visits to places with a wealth of birds — and therefore trees and water — “could be prescribed by doctors to treat mental health conditions,” reported The Guardian.

Chief researcher Andrea Mechelli noted in the paper, published in October in Scientific Reports, that “we need to create and support environments, particularly urban environments, where birdlife is a constant feature.”

Ruby-throated hummingbird at feeder
Ruby-throated hummingbird, photo by Richard Cooper