Even if you aren’t a birder, you very likely will like Wingspan, a popular board game released in 2019 that challenges players to develop bird populations in forest, grassland and wetland habitats.
If you are a birder and haven’t yet played Wingspan, you probably will soon, either at the invitation of a friend who has it or you decide to buy it yourself.
I first played it with my daughter and her family last year. One of my sons sent us our own game ahead of a recent visit to help out while I recover from knee surgery.
From a birder’s perspective, the game is a delight. Cards for 170 birds in the main edition are beautifully drawn and list details about each bird’s characteristics such as diet and habitat.
The object of the game is to score more points than your opponents, and you do so by accumulating and placing on the board birds with varying values. Some birds can be placed in multiple habitats while others are limited to one.
To get the birds onto the board, you have to provide their proper foods — berries, grain, rodents, etc. Bonus cards get you extra points. For example, one time I played I got extra points for birds with geographical references in their names, as in Canada Goose or American tree sparrow.
You can also score points by laying and accumulating eggs placed in multiple nest styles.
Over four rounds, your fortunes shift. As with many modern board games, the play is complicated, and it can take you a few rounds to get the hang of strategy.
As each bird card is revealed, I get a small rush of recognition — “I have photos of that one!” or “Ooh, I’d love to see one of those!”
There a couple of international editions of Wingspan if you’re looking for additional challenges.
Win or lose, you pick up new facts about our feathered friends each time you play. You might also get a friend or family member interested in doing some birding. 🦅
The Jersey Birder 
This sounds like fun.
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