Learning to recognise birds may strengthen your cognitive reserve steve young/Alamy 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. 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. It is why professional musicians show structural changes in brain regions involved in hearing, and athletes exhibit similar adaptations in motor areas. 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. Participants were aged 22 to 79, and both groups were similar in terms of sex, age and education. While undergoing brain scans, the participants …