The “dance” of a small bird revolutionizes tourism in New York after going viral

This is the American woodcock (Scolopax minor), a bird with plumage in brown, gray and black tones – which perfectly imitates dry leaves and the ground – that stops in the central park of Bryant Park in the middle of its migratory route.

“They are very cute; they have big eyes, like those of a rabbit or a deer. They have a long, funny beak and they are very chubby and round. The main thing is that when they walk, they shake their whole body. There are many videos on TikTok and Instagram with disco or hip-hop music, it seems like they are dancing. That is why people have fallen in love with this dancing bird,” urban naturalist Gabriel Willow explains to EFE.

A star with an escort

Willow, who has been guiding birdwatching walks for two decades, points out that about 150 species of birds pass through this park, in the heart of Manhattan, every spring and fall and that “almost all of them only make one stop during migration.”

“We started seeing American woodcocks decades ago, but they probably went unnoticed before. Last year it became very popular and this year it has gone to another level,” he notes.

For years, an average of twenty people have signed up for Willow’s tours in the park to see these birds, but last year the number rose to more than 100 people and this year, about 650 people signed up for the first tour, last Friday.

“There were guards controlling the lines. The bird had its own security personnel next to it and people waited two hours just to come up and see it,” says Willow, who laments that most of the curious people saw the bird sleeping, since they are nocturnal birds.

Sighting as a magnet for tourism

The fan club of this bird ranges from teenagers who have seen the bird on TikTok to retirees who love bird watching.

“I come from Baltimore (about four hours from the Big Apple). It is one of my favorite birds and, when I found out there was one in Bryant Park, I took advantage of my vacation to come and photograph it,” William, an 18-year-old young man who waits patiently behind a 600-millimeter lens, explains to EFE.

Like the teenager, Tiffany O’Brien, a wildlife scientist, traveled five hours from the Adirondack Mountains: “Our migration in the north is beginning, but here it is a little further along. It makes me very happy to see so many respectful people enjoying nature in the middle of the city.”

Many others, like Susana Teitelbaum, a Colombian tourist, simply join the crowd out of curiosity.

“We saw people watching and we joined in. It’s incredible how when the bird moves, everyone becomes alert,” notes Teitelbaum.

Oasis and refuge on the asphalt

Willow explains that it’s not that this bird only stops at Bryant Park, as he is sure that they are also distributed throughout Central Park, Prospect Park, cemeteries and other green spaces.

But the birds that stop at Bryant Park are easy to find because there are fewer places to hide and the vegetation is low.

In addition, a soil rich in worms makes this park an ideal buffet to rest before continuing to Canada or northern New York.

However, passing through New York is not without risks. “It’s a dangerous environment. They have to navigate between tall buildings and reflective glass that disorients them. Many die from collisions,” Willow warns.