My wife and I are fairly serious bird watchers. We started it about twenty years ago as a "couples activity" and by now we have many entries in our Life Lists. It is true that many of the same attributes are important for hunting binoculars and birding binoculars. Most birders use slightly lower power binoculars than I see hunters carrying anymore. A lightweight pair with a fast focus, a wide field of view, and the ability to focus at short ranges are more important than power. For longer distances we use spotting scopes on good tripods.
Some of the lists of "best" binoculars are wacky, but the ones published by the large organizations are reliable. If the list does not suggest Swarovski EL's as a top high price choice and Nikon 5's and 7's as very good mid or lower price choices then the list is suspect, perhaps driven to promote sales of certain products. Vortex is making some inroads with the birding community, most notably with budget minded beginners, but I do not see it often in experienced hands. Their advertising and warranty are attractive to some folks
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The only way to choose wisely is to read the specs and look through them yourself. All of our eyes are different.