Abstract
Numerous empirical studies have explored birdwatching and birding, but well-structured bibliometric research is needed to synthesize and understand the existing knowledge in this area. This paper presents a bibliometric analysis of birdwatching and birding research, evaluating 474 papers published on the Web of Science platform between 1976 and 2023. Co-authorship and keyword co-occurrence analyses were employed to assess the interdisciplinary nature of this research field. Key findings include author: birdwatching practices in tourism have experienced significant growth in the past decade; (2) Christoph Randler as the most prominent influential author; (3) the United States leads in document production, while Germany is prominent in citation count; (4) the University of Life Science ranks highest among institutions, but Eberhard Karls University leads in citation count; and (5) keyword trend network assessments indicate that birdwatching and birding are increasingly gaining attention in conservation, citizen Science tourism. In conclusion, birdwatching tourism research demonstrates considerable potential for further development and is expected to continue its upward trajectory.