Expert birdwatchers have brain differences that may underlie their remarkable ability to identify unfamiliar birds and suggest that birdwatching can reshape the brain in much the same way as learning a language or a musical instrument does. Such activities may bolster cognitive reserve, the brain's ability to defend itself against ageing and adapt to damage.

资深观鸟者的大脑结构与新手存在差异，这一差异或许是他们拥有出色的陌生鸟类识别能力的深层原因，也表明观鸟能够像学习语言或乐器一样重塑大脑。这类活动有助于增强大脑的认知储备，即大脑自身抵御衰老、适应损伤的能力。

When learning or practising a skill, the brain reorganises itself, strengthening and streamlining relevant pathways. This ability, known as neuroplasticity, underpins the development of expertise.

在学习或练习一项技能时，大脑会进行自我重组，强化并精简相关的神经通路。这种被称为神经可塑性的能力，是形成专业技能的基础。

To understand whether birding also shapes the brain, Erik Wing at York University in Canada and his colleagues analysed brain structure and function in 48 hobbyist birders, half experts and half novices, as judged on a screening test.

为了解观鸟是否也能塑造大脑，加拿大约克大学的埃里克·温及其同事对 48 名观鸟爱好者的大脑结构和功能进行了分析。经筛选测试判定，这些观鸟者中半数为资深爱好者，半数为新手。

While undergoing brain scans, the participants were shown an image of a bird for less than 4 seconds. About 10 seconds later, they tried identifying the same bird in one of four images, each depicting a different species.

在接受脑部扫描时，参与者会被展示鸟类图片，每张图片的展示时间不足 4 秒。约 10 秒后，参与者需要从四张显示不同鸟类的图片中，辨认出刚刚看到的那种鸟类。

As expected, expert birders could identify birds better than novices. On average, they accurately identified 83 percent of local bird species and 61 percent of the non-local ones. In contrast, novices correctly identified 44 percent of both groups of birds.

不出所料，资深观鸟者识别鸟类的能力优于新手。平均来看，他们对本地鸟类的准确识别率为 83%，对非本地鸟类为 61%。相比之下，新手对这两类鸟类的正确识别率均为 44%。

As we get older, structural complexity and organisation tend to diminish in the brain — a trend observed in both novices and expert birdwatchers. But the decline was less pronounced in expert birders, suggesting birding may help build cognitive reserve.

随着年龄增长，人类大脑的结构复杂性和组织结构往往会逐渐衰退，这一趋势在新手和资深观鸟者身上均有体现。但资深观鸟者的大脑衰退程度不那么明显，这表明观鸟有助于提升大脑的认知储备。

However, this study is only a snapshot in time. To really know whether the brain changes are due to birding, researchers would have to scan the brain multiple times over months to years, says Wing.

不过，该研究仅能反映某个时间节点的状况。温指出，要真正确定大脑的这些变化是否由观鸟引发，研究人员还需要在数月至数年间，对研究对象的大脑进行多次扫描检测。