24th Annual Birding Classic

The biggest, longest, wildest birdwatching tournament in the U.S.!

2020 official artwork by Craig Farquhar (American Avocets)

Join Us for a Once-in-a-Lifetime Fall Birding Classic!

Tournament Dates: October 1-31, 2020 (your choice of day)

Registration Deadline: September 14, 2020

Conservation Grant Deadline: October 1, 2020

We hope you can join us for this unique Fall Birding Classic from October 1-31, 2020, enjoying all that peak fall migration has to offer!

The health and safety of our Birding Classic participants, staff, and the birding community are paramount, so we have made some rule modifications and tweaked tournament categories to better suit the ever-evolving pandemic guidelines for the state of Texas.

Please review all tournament rules to make yourself familiar with these changes. The tournament categories for this year have also changed slightly, so go over the details for each tournament category to learn more about what those changes mean.

What Is the Birding Classic?

Birders of all ages and levels of experience are welcome to join this Texas birdwatching event during the amazing spring migration.

There's a tournament category for everyone - from the beginning backyard birder to the competitive lister!

Registration fees raise money for Texas bird and birding conservation project grants.

Gather your team, register, and go birding - it's truly that simple!

How to Participate gives you a step-by-step guide to help your team during the tournament.

Visit Tournament Advice tips on mentoring youth teams, advice from former winners on how to run a successful Big Day or the Weeklong tournament,and pointers on birding with blind or visually impaired birders.

This event is made possible by donations from event sponsors Toyota and the Texas Ornithological Society, Awards Ceremony sponsor Audubon Texas, and team registration fees and corporate and community team sponsorship. Habitat conservation grants awarded are funded through event sponsorship and registration fees. The birds are counting on you!

Stay informed on Birding Classic registration deadlines, conservation grant proposal due dates, tips leading up to the big event, and more.

Have questions? Visit the contact section to talk directly to Birding Classic staff.