Challenges for everyone!
Birda offers a whole range of challenges to keep you motivated from monthly species counts to Big Years, photo challenges to Days Wild. Each challenge has its own leaderboard, great for those of us who enjoy a little friendly competition, be it with yourself or other birders around the world. Find a challenge that suits you, whatever your mood.
Birdwatching Challenges
SPECIES
Generation Nature Challenge
25 May - 25 Jun, 2024
🐦 Log 15 species
🏆 Complete the challenge and earn your digital finisher’s badge
⭐ Be in with a chance to win an ATC 17-40x56 Spotting Scope and a pair of MY Junior 7x28 binoculars
This summer, Swarovski Optik challenges you to venture outside and become part of
“Generation Nature” by logging at least 15 bird species. You can go it alone, or take some family or friends to share the excitement of bird-spotting together. Once you’ve completed the challenge you’ll be in with a chance to win an ATC 17-40x56 Spotting Scope plus a pair of MY Junior 7x28 binoculars, perfect for those family adventures.
For the last 75 years, Swarovski Optik has been at the forefront of connecting generations of nature-lovers with the beauty of the natural world through their state-of-the-art binoculars and spotting scopes. As part of their 75th anniversary celebrations this year, they're rolling out the green carpet for anyone who gets a kick out of nature. Uniting all ages and cultures to inspire each other in a shared love for the natural world. With #generationnature, it's all about connecting, sharing, and making a bit of a difference for our planet.
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SPECIES LOCATION
Australia Big Year 2024
01 Jan - 31 Dec, 2024
🐦 Log 75 species
Join the Australia Big Year Challenge 2024! Enhance your birdwatching skills, and support citizen science by experiencing the breathtaking beauty of Australia's avian wonders. Australia's extraordinary variety of birds showcases its rich biodiversity and varied habitats. Set your goal to identify 75 bird species by the year's end!
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SPECIES LOCATION
European Big Year 2024
01 Jan - 31 Dec, 2024
🐦 Log 75 species
Participate in the European Big Year 2024, improve your birdwatching skills, and contribute to bird research across Europe. Discover the rich diversity of bird species found throughout the European continent. Aim to spot and document 75 different bird species in any European country by the end of the year!
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SPECIES LOCATION
Britain Big Year 2024
01 Jan - 31 Dec, 2024
🐦 Log 75 species
Join the Britain Big Year 2024 Challenge, develop your birdwatching abilities, and support wildlife research across Britain's varied habitats. Explore and discover the wide array of bird species found throughout Britain's countryside, coasts, and urban areas. Challenge yourself to spot and document 75 different bird species by the end of the year!
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SPECIES
#My200BirdYear Challenge 2024
01 Jan - 31 Dec, 2024
🐦 Log 200 species
We’ve teamed up with Bird Watching magazine for their special Big Year challenge as we want to encourage people to see more birds than ever!
There’s a target of 200 species, you don’t need any fancy equipment, though some binoculars may help! You can do it in England, Wales or deep in the Amazon Rainforest. Help and advice will be in every issue of Bird Watching magazine and there’ll be regular Readers’ Days at which you can meet the BW team, get tips from them and reserve wardens, and add new species to your list at some of the UK’s best birding spots.
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SPECIES
Birda Global Big Year 2024
01 Jan - 31 Dec, 2024
🐦 Log 100 species
Participate in the Birda Global Big Year 2024, expand your birdwatching skills, and contribute to worldwide conservation research. This exciting challenge allows you to explore and document the diverse range of bird species found anywhere in the world. The goal is to identify and record 100 different bird species from any location across the globe by the end of the year!
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SPECIES LOCATION
Kruger National Park Challenge 2024
01 Jan - 31 Dec, 2024
🐦 Log 75 species
Join the Kruger National Park Challenge 2024, improve your birdwatching, and help with wildlife research in South Africa's famous park. Discover the diverse birds of Kruger National Park. Aim to spot 75 different species by the end of the year!
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SPECIES LOCATION
Southern Africa Big Year 2024
01 Jan - 31 Dec, 2024
🐦 Log 100 species
Join the Southern Africa Big Year 2024 and experience the rich avian biodiversity of Southern Africa. Your goal? Identify and log 100 bird species to complete the challenge. But don't stop there! Keep exploring and recording to see how high you can climb on the leaderboard, comparing your achievements with fellow birders across this diverse and bird-rich region.
Countries include Namibia, South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini & Mozambique (South of the Zambezi river).
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SPECIES LOCATION
Rutland Water Challenge 2024
01 Jan - 31 Dec, 2024
📷 Log 10 species
🏆 Complete the challenge and earn your digital finisher’s badge
Whether you're a seasoned birdwatcher or first-time explorer, the Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trusts challenge you to spot and connect with at least 10 bird species around Rutland Water this year.
Home to the iconic Rutland Ospreys and containing one of the largest wildfowl sanctuaries in all of the UK, Rutland Water Nature Reserve is a birder’s dream and the perfect venue to help you grow your life lists.
So head out and explore! Wildfowl swim in the bay in spring, and when the water levels fall in late summer, the area is taken over by wading birds feeding on the exposed mud. Keep your eyes peeled for the flash of a kingfisher and the majestic ospreys diving for fish.
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SPECIES LOCATION
South African Big Year 2024
01 Jan - 31 Dec, 2024
🐦 Log 75 species
Join the South African Big Year 2024, enhance your birdwatching skills, and contribute to wildlife research across the country's diverse landscapes. Explore the rich variety of bird species found throughout South Africa's parks and natural reserves. Set your goal to identify and record 75 different bird species by the end of the year and see if you can spot the 2024 Bird of the Year - the beautiful Bateluer!
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SPECIES LOCATION
India Big Year 2024
01 Jan - 31 Dec, 2024
🐦 Log 75 species
Join the India Big Year Challenge 2024! Refine your birdwatching expertise, and aid in citizen science as you explore the unique splendor of India's bird species. The remarkable array of birds in India reflects its vast biodiversity and diverse ecosystems. Challenge yourself to identify and record 75 different bird species by the end of the year!
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SPECIES LOCATION
Greater London Challenge 2024
01 Jan - 31 Dec, 2024
🐦 Log 30 species
Join the Greater London Challenge 2024, enhance your birding skills, and contribute to urban wildlife research while exploring the enchanting beauty of London's avian residents. The variety of bird species found in London is a testament to the city's vibrant urban biodiversity and green spaces. Set a personal goal to spot and log 30 bird species in the Greater London area (inside the M25) by the end of the year!
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SPECIES LOCATION
ABA Area Big Year 2024
01 Jan - 31 Dec, 2024
🐦 Log 100 species
Join the ABA Area Big Year 2024, enhance your birdwatching skills, and contribute to avian research within the American Birding Association (ABA) area. Embrace the opportunity to explore and document the diverse bird species found across North America, including the United States and Canada. Set your sights on identifying and recording 100 different bird species in the ABA area by the end of the year!
What’s the ABA Area? The ABA Area, sometimes referred to as the ABA Checklist Area, is essentially North America north of Mexico plus the Hawaiian Islands. Specifically, the area encompassed is the 49 continental United States, the Hawaiian Islands, Canada, the French islands of St. Pierre et Miquelon, and adjacent waters to a distance of 200 miles from land or half the distance to a neighbouring country, whichever is less.
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SPECIES
May Challenge 2024
01 - 31 May, 2024
🐦 Log 30 species
May your days be feather-filled! Head out and spot 30 species this month.
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Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.
Your birdwatching journey like never before
Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.
Birda Blog
What Our Birders Say
Dan R
Great app for bird fanatics
Great app for bird fanatics - very user friendly and a perfect place to share sightings.
Ellesse_W
Learning Birding with Birda
I’m relatively new to birding as a hobby, and Birda is a great way to keep track off all the species I see. I’m still working on my ID skills, but the app is great for figuring out potential species, and the online community is so friendly and helpful. Definitely recommend Birda to both early and serious birders! 🐦
Talli A
My favourite app
As a young birdwatcher who was always keen to be apart of a community but never seemed to find one, my problem was solved downloading this!!! Everyone is so friendly and just as excited to see birds as me 😁
Jake W
Great app
I use this app all the time as it’s quick and easy to log individual sightings or whole birding sessions. It’s an excellent way to meet new people and the forum is full of really friendly people. The challenges are a great way to get involved and learn more about birds. Cannot recommend it enough!
Emcil24
A Friendly Place
I love using the bird app, I have a pretty good knowledge of birds. But I do have some gaps in it, so it’s nice to have a safe space to check on a sighting to confirm the species. It’s really enjoyable and I love the badges you can collect. It’s like a real life Pokémon go.
Patricia L
Very encouraging birding app
Easy to use, fun to see progress and encouraging to receive feedback from other users.
Chudbond
Love Birda
I love this app. It really encourages you to log your sightings and the community is friendly and helpful.
Trevarthen1
Birda fan
I really enjoy using Birda, all sightings are recorded and photos can be added. There are monthly challenges which help to get you out to record your sightings. The Birda community are great and are happy to help with unidentified bird sightings. Suitable for all ages and experience!
Foxgirl100
Great app for beginner twitchers
I’ve had a passion of photographing birds for a long time now but have only just gotten into proper birdwatching, and this app is brilliant for those just getting started. There is a great sense of community among users and the app is very easy to use and professional. Awesome app altogether
Bryan C
Clean and easy to use
Really enjoying this app, it's clean and easy to use. I love the ease of being able to add those one-off birds without starting a whole checklist. I also like the social aspect, like the parts of my Facebook I like, without the ads and junk, just birds. Can't wait to see it become more populated.
Birdwatching Challenges
Birda presents various engaging challenges designed to encourage outdoor activities, more time in nature, and achieving specific goals. These challenges can be as short as a day or as long as a year and may be focused on particular locations or be worldwide.
How to Join a Birda Challenge?
In the Birda app, navigate to the ‘Challenges’ section in the bottom menu to explore different challenges. Each challenge has unique criteria, so it’s crucial to review the Details and Eligibility for the rules. To ensure your activities contribute to the challenge, set your post sharing settings to public.
Tracking Your Challenge Progress
After joining a challenge, it will appear on your Profile Page and the Challenges tab. By selecting a challenge, you can view a progress bar indicating your completion status and the remaining time. This section also displays all your qualifying sightings. Each challenge features a leaderboard ranking participants. Your rank, along with the positions of those around you, will be visible.
Prizes for Challenges
Occasionally, Birda partners with brands to offer sponsored challenges with prizes. To maintain inclusivity, prizes are distributed through a prize draw, where anyone who completes the challenge is eligible to win. Always read the terms and conditions for each challenge to understand prize eligibility and how to claim them.
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