Created by Alberto Vaccari and Lily Bickerstaffe, Birdle is a fun, educational game designed to spark curiosity about birds and conservation. It has taken off in the birding community, often cited as the first thing people do in the morning! Inspired by the viral success of Wordle, Birdle challenges players to identify a new bird species each day in five guesses or less. Clues include the bird’s size, diet, habitat, call, and a gradually revealed image. Players can track progress, test their knowledge, and compete with friends—making bird learning engaging for all experience levels.
What inspired you to create Birdle, and how did the idea take flight?
Lily came up with the idea when she was just getting into birdwatching and found it hard to remember all the bird names. Around the same time, Wordle was exploding in popularity. She pitched the concept of a bird-themed daily guessing game to me (Alberto) as I was looking to create a game that was more than an entertaining distraction. Together, we designed Birdle and brought the idea to Andy Wassung, the former Head of Communications at BirdLife South Africa. Andy’s enthusiasm was infectious, and after that first meeting, Lily and I started developing the game.
How did you decide on the game format and the specific clues used to identify birds?
We knew we wanted players to be learning through playing – not just testing their existing knowledge. We also did not want the bird name to be the sole focus of the game. After a few iterations, we settled on the current categories as they allowed players to narrow down the bird list while discovering more about the bird.
Who is Birdle designed for—experienced birders, beginners, or both?
Birdle was designed to be accessible to everyone, regardless of skill. We tested it with as many people as possible and continue to listen to feedback to ensure that every player finds something rewarding in the experience.
One of the most satisfying outcomes has been watching experienced birders play alongside beginners, sharing their knowledge and love of birds.
We are now exploring ways to make Birdle engaging in schools, where a teacher could use it during a class as part of a shared learning experience, where the bird of the day could trigger larger conversations about habitat loss and environmental challenges.
What has been the most rewarding response or feedback you’ve received since launching the game?
Through our newsletter, The Birdle Club, we’re lucky to receive many touching stories about how Birdle brings people closer in ways we never anticipated.
One player told us she started playing Birdle as a way to sharpen her bird call identification skills after her husband passed away. It was one of his great passions, and playing the game brought her a sense of connection to him.
We’ve also heard from many grandparents about how Birdle has become a special way for them to bond with their grandchildren. One grandmother shared how her grandson would rush to her house, eager to play Birdle together!
Hearing these stories warms our hearts. It goes beyond what we ever expected such a simple little game to be capable of.
How do you choose which birds to feature each day?
We try to choose the bird of the day in connection with important conservation projects; so while the players can get to appreciate the beauty of these animals, they also get to learn about the challenges and threats they face, and what people are doing to help.
Have you noticed any surprising trends in how players interact with the game?
In fact, yes. We love hearing about families playing together, taking it in turns to guess the bird: the call is played first and from the youngest member to the eldest, they each attempt to make a guess. This turns Birdle into a fun and social daily activity to be played as a family. We have also heard of players being very cautious before making their first guess, in order to always get it in one.
How do you see Birdle contributing to bird conservation awareness?
We initially saw Birdle as a tool for helping players learn about conservation projects, but over time it has become a way for people to contribute directly to these vital efforts. For instance, several citizen science initiatives gained significant visibility through Birdle, and many players have even donated to BirdLife South Africa’s causes. In addition, Birdle Pro subscribers support the work of BirdLife South Africa while also helping to keep Birdle running.
What challenges did you face in developing Birdle, and how did you overcome them?
The biggest challenge is ensuring the data is available every day. This is a collaborative effort made possible by the dedication of BirdLife South Africa’s staff, especially Andy Wassung and Kurt Martin, who craft the daily descriptions with care, and Cassie Carstens, who compiled much of the scientific data for South African species.
The second biggest challenge is to keep up with player support: answering questions about the bird of the day and, at times, quelling the heat from players who contact us to explain just how wrong we are. Most queries focus on bird calls, especially when we include lesser-known vocalisations, which can stir quite a tempest among our most dedicated players.
Do you have any plans for expanding the game—new features, difficulty levels, or collaborations?
We will soon release cloud sync, so that players will be able to keep their stats when changing devices. We will also be adding more countries to Birdle through new and exciting collaborations.
In addition, we are working on a new project called Birdle GO, a bird photography game that blends the digital and real worlds. Players will explore a map of their surroundings with the goal of approaching virtual birds and capturing the best photos.
Our aim is to encourage people to step outside and connect with nature. We envision families playing together, with Birdle GO serving as a way to introduce younger players to birdwatching in the familiar setting of video games.
Participants of the Flock to Marion Cruise 2025 were the first to experience the prototype and offer valuable feedback. We are now continuing development and will soon be looking for testers. If you’re interested, please sign up at: https://testers.birdlego.com
If you could get one dream endorsement or partnership for Birdle, who or what would it be?
We think Birdle could be a fantastic tool in schools, and we would love to work with science and biology teachers to figure out the best way to adapt it for the classroom. A few minutes of Birdle before the lesson could be a great way to get students warmed up for talking about nature and important topics like conservation.
At the same time, we’re really excited about bringing Birdle to Zulu-speaking communities to help share the joy of birding more widely across South Africa. We’ve recently launched an isiZulu version, complete with local bird names in the language. We’d be thrilled to connect with any existing Zulu birding groups out there to chat about how we could potentially work together.
Feature image: Birdle creators Alberto Vaccari and Lily Bickerstaffe on the ‘Flock to Marion Again’ cruise.
