If you see me out birding, please do not ask me that question. I will look at you and ask, “Have you seen any bad ones?” I suppose I know what a “good bird” is. It’s most likely either a rare bird (to an experienced birder) or a pretty bird (to the lady walking her dog). And, so, I ask: “What is a bad bird?” Is a Turkey Vulture a bad bird? If so, is a Lazuli Bunting a good bird? If I ask these questions, I get some “bad looks”.
But here’s the thing: “good” and “bad” are very subjective and personal evaluations. For example, we have a seed feeder outside the window of our BnB and the only birds that visit it are House Finches and Lesser Gold finches. There are lots of them. These are common birds, and a birder might even consider them “junk birds” not worth observing.
But our guests are delighted, by these little birds. These folks simply enjoy watching them crowd the feeder and interact with one another. They are not seeing traffic on the highway or crowds at Wal-Mart. They are watching nature without a TV set. Perhaps they have never seen that before. Our guests rarely remark about how pretty the Goldfinches are because these are just more birds in motion. So, are these common back yard birds “good birds”? You bet they are.
A similar situation occurs with our local Audubon chapter. They don’t do many field trips in the Summer or in the Winter because “There are no birds”. I guess they all came to our feeders. If you take out non-birders and see just a few drab Winter birds, those non-birders would be delighted – unless the guide did not even bother to feature those unremarkable birds.
Here is a good article that puts a different spin on “bad birds”: Meet the Backyard Birds With a Bad Reputation – Birds and Blooms
So, if you ask me that question, you might get a scowl or a growl – on a good day.