Wings Over Arkansas

Wings Over Arkansas is an award-based program recognizing bird watchers’ contributions to Arkansas’s outdoors.

Start a checklist of birds you’ve seen and receive a decorative pin and certificate identifying your level of birding experience.

How to Participate

• Record each species you identify by sight or sound in the Arkansas Bird Checklist.
• Transfer your recorded species to the official Wings Over Arkansas Application Checklist (included with application packet) or print your eBird list.
• Mail application and bird records to:
  Wings Over Arkansas Coordinator
  Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
  2 Natural Resources Drive
  Little Rock, AR 72205.
• Allow six weeks for delivery of certificate and pin.
• Click on the Program Documents tab above to download program materials.

Arkansas Bird Checklist

Many bird watchers enjoy keeping a list of all the birds they have identified. It can be a thrill to see a species for the first time and add it to your life list. Many people keep journals and add information to each entry, such as the date, location and with whom they were birding.

Life lists reflect bird species you have seen and where you have seen them. They are a terrific way to record memories. Seeing a new species may remind us of a special trip, a wonderful hiking experience, the back yard of a former home, or a fun time with a bird-watching friend.

Many beginning and advanced bird watchers enjoy keeping many types of lists, such as a yearly list, a state list for birds seen in Arkansas and individual lists for each birding adventure. A great way to start is with a yard list, adding every species of bird that visits your property. You will be amazed at how long the list will grow.

Want your Wings Over Arkansas bird list to make a difference? Share your sightings with the rest of the world and become a citizen scientist through eBird. Scientists, researchers and amateur birdwatchers share millions of bird sightings at eBird.org each year, creating an online database about bird distribution and abundance. eBird also offers tools to manage your bird list, photos and audio recordings, and find birding hotspots.

Visit arbirds.org for a list of birds in Arkansas that includes information on their distribution, abundance and dates of occurrence.

Downloadable Resources

Official Rules

• All bird listings must include species name, date and location of sighting.
• All birds listed must be in Arkansas when identified.
• All birds listed must be alive, wild and unrestrained when observed.
• All birds listed must be identified by sight or sound by the person submitting the application.
• Retroactive bird lists are acceptable.

Achievement Levels

Wings Over Arkansas Program Coordinator