All Tournament Categories
Information for All Tournament Categories:
Below is a listing of all 11 tournament categories available to birders during the Birding Classic. With nine regional tournaments available in every category offering a Regional option - one for each Wildlife Trail region - that gives 43 different ways a team can participate! There truly is something for everyone this year. (PDF version of All Tournament Category spreadsheet)
Category |
Age |
Number of Team Members |
Length of Time Spent Birding |
Regional * |
Statewide ** |
Additional Information |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Roughwings Regional Big Day Tournaments | 13 years and younger | 3-5 | up to 8 hours in a single day (midnight to midnight); hours need not be cumulative | X | Mentor/driver(s) required who does not identify or locate birds for the team but can help verify once ID'd by youth | |
Gliders Regional Big Day Tournaments | 14-18 years old | 3-5 | up to 24 hours in a single day (midnight to midnight) | X | Mentor/driver(s) required who does not identify or locate birds for the team but can help verify once ID'd by youth | |
Adult Regional Big Day Tournaments | 19+ years old | 3-5 | up to 24 hours in a single day (midnight to midnight) | X | ||
Adult Statewide Big Day Tournament | 19+ years old | 3-5 | up to 24 hours in a single day (midnight to midnight) | X | ||
Adult Statewide Weeklong Tournament | 19+ years old | 3-5 | up to six consecutive full days (midnight to midnight each day) | X | ||
Big Sit! Regional Tournaments | all ages | 1 or more | up to 24 hours in a single day (midnight to midnight) | X | Teams select a 17-foot diameter circle from which to bird. Team members can rotate in shifts or can be the same members all day. Birds identified and counted must be seen/heard from within the circle. | |
Outta-Sight Song Birder Tournament
|
all ages | 3-5 | up to 12 hours in a single day (midnight to midnight); hours need not be consecutive | X | For blind or visually impaired birders. One sighted person per team is allowed but not required. Sighted person must be blindfolded restricting bird identification to sound-based ID only. Driver/record keeper may not assist with bird location or identification. | |
Human-Powered Tournament | all ages | 3-5 | up to 24 hours in a single day (midnight to midnight) | X | All birds identified must be seen/heard after the team has become fully human-powered (walking, bicycles, kayaks, canoes, etc.). No motorized vehicles may be used to move between locations once tournament day has begun. | |
State Park Tournament | all ages | 3-5 | up to 24 hours in a single day (midnight to midnight) | X | Teams select a TPWD state park and all birds identified must be seen/heard from within the park's official boundaries. Teams must pay all park entry fees (or use their Texas State Parks Pass), including any overnight fees if starting the count before the park opens. | |
Sunrise to Noon Tournament | all ages | 3-5 | sunrise to 12:00noon | X | Teams begin birding at dawn and can bird until 12:00noon. | |
Texas Two-Stop Tournament | all ages | 3-5 | up to 48 hours in a two-day period (midnight first day to 11:59pm the following day) | X | NEW TOURNAMENT: Teams select two birding sites that have distinct boundaries (examples: state/county/city park, NWR, WMA, nature center, TNC property) and may bird for up to 24 consecutive hours at each site, minus driving time between sites, in the 48-hour period. Final checklist is combined list total for both sites. No birds may be counted while driving between sites, only within boundaries of each of the two sites. |
There may be other tournament categories of interest to you, so visit All Tournament Categories if you would like to see a complete list.
* There are 9 different regions based on the Great Texas Wildlife Trail. Teams participating in a regional tournament must select their Great Texas Wildlife Trail region using the online Regional Tournament Map, indicate that region on their official team registration form, and stay within the boundaries of that region on their tournament day. Teams in regional tournaments compete against all other teams from the same region for each tournament category.
** Teams participating in a statewide tournament category are not confined to any one region of the state but instead compete against all other teams in that same category, regardless of area birded.