The Great Texas Birding Classic, billed as the largest birdwatching tournament in the country, set new records for teams, participants, species identified and conservation grant funding in its 30th year, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department announced in a July 31 news release.
The tournament, organized by TPWD, ran from April 15 to May 15, with teams competing on a day of their choice. According to the agency, a record 252 teams and 1,450 participants took part statewide, including 41 first-time teams, while 33 teams entered the event’s newest category, the Lone Star Duo Tournament. The Big Sit remained the most popular category with 80 registered teams, 20 of them competing as part of Heart of Texas East.
Teams identified a record 435 species during the spring migration, TPWD said. The total included several birds classified as Review Species by the Texas Bird Records Committee, meaning they have been recorded four or fewer times per year in Texas over a ten-year average, among them the Short-tailed Hawk, Mottled Owl, Gray Flycatcher, Black-whiskered Vireo, Brown Jay and Golden-crowned Sparrow.
The Birding Classic awarded $85,000 in conservation grants in 2026, a 42 percent increase over the previous year and the largest single-year total in the event’s history, according to the release. That pushed the tournament’s 30-year total to $1.36 million for acquisition, restoration and enhancement projects benefiting native Texas wildlife habitats.
“This year one of our participants made an anonymous donation of $20,000 through a specific option for retirees to make charitable donations for the event,” said Shelly Plante, Birding Classic tournament coordinator. “Because of this donation, our overall conservation grants went through the roof, and we couldn’t be more grateful.”
Winning teams select the projects that receive funding each year. According to TPWD, the 2026 grants support the Virginia Point Victoria Baker Birding Trail in Galveston County, grassland restoration at the Mitchell Lake Audubon Center in San Antonio, the Rebirth Sanctuary project in Kerrville, habitat restoration at Singleton Preserve in Cedar Hill, updates to bird viewing stations at Goose Island State Park near Rockport and a new water feature at the Joan & Scott Holt Paradise Pond in Port Aransas.
The event also held its first art contest, with grand prize winner Townsend Keller’s artwork set to appear on the 2027 event t-shirt and promotions, the agency said. The tournament is funded by team registration fees and sponsors including Toyota, the Texas Ornithological Society and Audubon Texas, and organizers said they look forward to directing more money toward Texas habitat conservation projects as the event continues to grow.