Birding is Political: Decolonizing Our Gaze Through Birds

Today, more than ever, I believe that birding is a political act. We know that travel is political in many ways, but what happens when you travel with a clear purpose?

Three years ago, I began my journey into international birdwatching, prioritizing South American destinations. I believe that, as Mexicans, we sometimes take our culture for granted and forget how completely our geographic location influences who we are, what we do, and how we see the world. That is exactly what geopolitics is about.

Living so close to the United States and its culture, compounded by the endless brainwashing of "American Dream" aspirations and unconscious colonialist ideals, makes us forget that there is so much more out there. This is serious: you cannot protect what you do not know. It is a common symptom in the Global South to look at the Global North as the standard for what is "good" or "better."

Birds have taken me to many places. Fortunately, they have done so alongside people with critical thinking, oriented toward conservation and the self-questioning of our birding practices. And I don’t just mean the obvious things, like field ethics, but also our own travel and consumption dynamics.

That is why, every time you leave your hometown, connecting with local people is vital. By talking to local birders, you get a real X-ray of their social reality, understand the actual impact of your visit, and discover how you can contribute positively.

To be honest, most of the conversations where these debates come up always happen with colleagues from Mexico downwards. We share the pressure and tension exerted by the Global North at a social and political level, and that is also reflected in birdwatching.

It is worth asking ourselves the uncomfortable questions: Who is at the top of eBird? Who are the ones birding the most, why do they have the resources to do so, and what is their approach? Are the tours arriving in our cities being led by local guides? And if not, who is truly benefiting from our biodiversity?

As birdwatchers and travelers, our mission should be to care about what the territories we visit are going through, while also sharing our own contexts. the Americas are massive; it is easy to get lost in the immensity of our cultures and histories.

But when we sit down to share a chicha, a mate, an aguapanela, a pulque, or a tapioca; when we share our favorite common bird names in our own languages and question why, despite having this immense richness, we still use English names... that is when we bridge the gap. That is when we recognize ourselves in the other.

Maybe, just maybe, that is how birdwatching becomes one of the most powerful tools we have: to accompany each other, to feel that we are not alone in the world, and to remember that a collective hope does exist.

Today, I return to Mexico City appreciating my local birds, treasuring everything I learned in Brazil, the stories, the food, the Portuguese names, the ecosystems bursting with life, but above all, I leave with new friendships and the certainty that the Global South beats strong.