The smoky frogmouth hunts at night, so it has large eyes. This is what probably makes this bird popular on Instagram.
In the scientific vocabulary, the word “instagram” looks rather alien. But in the latest study, German scientists tried to find out which birds are most popular with users of social networks – and found that the most “instagram” birds are representatives of the frog family.
In their work, scientists from the University of Constance use another not very scientific term: “the triumph of justice.” The fact is that the winner of the current rating was once considered “the most unfortunate bird in the world.”
The results of the study, published in the scientific journal i-Perception, surprised scientists a lot – and revealed the secret of the success of birds that constantly look like someone has offended them.
The popularity of birds on social networks is helped by bright plumage
“They are not like other birds, their appearance almost resembles humans,” says the author of the study, a psychologist at the University of Constance Katja Tommes. that bird watchers are so happy every time they see these birds that they celebrate this event with a bunch of likes. “
Tommes, who is also a photography enthusiast, used Instagram to study the success criteria for a particular photo on social media – and ranked the birds based on the number of likes their photos received.
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“This is just the perfect environment for research. On this network, many users around the world interact with an incredible amount of visual content,” says the scientist.
Blue bird
The authors of the study found that bright plumage contributes to the popularity of certain birds. “Hoopoes and turaco, which have crown-like feathers on their heads, received a high rating,” the paper says.
The popularity of birds on Instagram is helped by a bright color
At the same time, it turned out that the blue plumage of birds turned out to be “the most aesthetically attractive” for users of the social network. This is in line with other studies on what attracts us most about tourist photography. Think of the countless shots of unspoiled beaches, blue skies and sparkling waves.
10 of the most popular birds on Instagram
- 1. Frog-nosed
- 2. Dove
- 3. Touring
- 4. Hoopoes
- 5. Brilliant Painted Malyur
- 6. Whiskered tit
- 7. Magpie
- 8. Hornbills
- 9. Owls
- 10. Wavy Astrild
Research data from scientists at the University of Constance
At the same time, according to the results of the study, seabirds are the least attractive. At the bottom of the rating were “not too beautiful” snipe, oystercatchers, vultures and storks.
However, the pictures that people “share” and “like” the most are not always the most beautiful, says wildlife photographer Graham Purdy, who posts pictures on his Instagram.
“People love cute and fluffy animals – especially those with big eyes,” says the photographer, who recently won second place in the prestigious Sony World Photography Awards. He says that he tries to post on Instagram those pictures that he himself considers especially successful – and this is not always successful.
Popular … and not so
“On Instagram, people usually like big cats and elephants, but if I publish, for example, a picture of a mongoose that I really like, it doesn't get likes. So popular photos and good photos are not always the same,” the photographer admits.
This opinion is confirmed by the general statistics of Instagram. The most popular wildlife photographer on this platform has 6.9 million followers, but the very furry Pomeranian Jiff Pom (with his very rich wardrobe) boasts over 10 million followers.
However, there are also those on Instagram who are trying to use the social network to draw attention to environmental problems. Last year, the environmental organization The Ecology Project published a list of photographers whose work helps nature.
