Fat Bird Week 2025

Let’s celebrate our chunky native birds and learn how to help them! Every day from May 2nd to May 9th you got the chance to vote for your favorite bulbous bird.

How does voting work?

Our 8 chubby contestants compete in a single elimination, bracket-style tournament.

The first round of voting opened at 9am CST on Friday, May 2nd and voting remained open for 48 hours. The second round of voting opened at 9am CST on Sunday, May 4th and remained open for 24 hours. The following rounds opened at 9am CST and lasted 24 hours until the final round on Friday, May 9th. The winner was announced on Monday, May 12th.

Meet the contestants

Why do we care about Wisconsin’s fat birds?

In the world of birds, a fat bird is a healthy bird. Fat acts as a great lightweight source of energy for these important pollinators. Many of our favorite native Wisconsin species are also migratory birds and can pack on 50-100% of their body weight to store up enough energy for their long journey. For our non-migratory chonkers, they are able to fluff out their feathers during the winter months to stay warm.

Fat, healthy birds benefit our environment in a variety of ways. As key pollinators, birds disperse seeds, pollinate plants, and help manage pests in farmlands and forests. Birds also have significant mental health benefits for humans and support Wisconsin’s $2.6 billion wildlife watching economy. Known as “canaries in the coal mine,” birds can alert both people and wildlife to unhealthy conditions, too. What are the four biggest ways you can help? Plant native species, prevent window strikes, buy bird-friendly coffee, and participate in the Great Wisconsin Birdathon.

Gather your flock for the Great Wisconsin Birdathon!

The Great Wisconsin Birdathon is Wisconsin’s largest fundraiser for bird conservation. It’s like a walk-a-thon style fundraiser, but instead of logging miles, our participants are logging bird sightings! Each year, bird enthusiasts from across the state raise support and awareness for bird conservation by forming a team or donating to a team.

The funds are collected and managed by NRF through the Bird Protection Fund. BPF projects include conservation of Wisconsin’s most threatened and endangered bird species; creation and protection of crucial breeding, stopover, and overwintering habitat; research and monitoring; and education and outreach.

Birdathon teams can participate any day from April 15th to June 15th, and donations are accepted from March 15th to June 30th. Participation is free and all skill levels are welcome to join.

Bring Fat Bird Week to your workplace

Gather your co-workers for some friendly competition and place bets on who you think will win each round of Wisconsin Fat Bird Week, all while raising funds for bird conservation! Print out our bracket and host a “pay to play” competition where you and your colleagues make a donation to enter your bracket of predictions. At the end of the competition, the prize money could be split between the winner and NRF’s Bird Protection Fund, which supports the conservation of our state’s most threatened and endangered bird species.

2024 Fat Bird Week

Watch our webinar: “Four Ways to keep Wisconsin’s Birds Fat and Healthy”

Learn all about the easiest ways to help keep our native bird population fat, healthy, and flying. The four biggest actions people can take: plant native species, prevent window strikes, buy bird-friendly coffee, and participate in the Great Wisconsin Birdathon. At the webinar, the winner of the 2024 Wisconsin Fat Bird Week was officially announced!

Presented by

Banner photo by Ken & Barb Wardius