North America

Tours

From the tundra to the tropics, all in one continent

North America is a bigger birding destination than most people give it credit for. Everybody knows about the tropics. The Amazon, Costa Rica, Ecuador, those places get all the attention. But you can spend a lifetime birding this continent and never run out of new things to see. Over 2,000 species have been recorded here, and the variety of habitats is honestly a bit absurd when you sit down and think about it.

Start in the far north. The Arctic tundra of Alaska and northern Canada is a world of its own. Shorebirds nest there in numbers that boggle the mind, and birds like Snowy Owls and Gyrfalcons breed in landscapes that feel like another planet. Our Alaska Grand Odyssey is built around that world, and if you have ever wanted to see what the top of the continent looks like in June, this is the way to do it. Then drop south through the boreal forest, a vast green belt that stretches across the continent. Warblers, thrushes, and finches nest in those woods every summer, and the birding can be spectacular if you catch it right.

Keep going and you hit the grasslands of the Great Plains. This is the prairie pothole region, sometimes called the duck factory because of how many waterfowl breed there. Around 10 million ducks and other waterfowl nest in those shallow wetlands every year. It is one of the most underrated birding areas on the continent, partly because it is not the easiest place to get to, but that is also part of what makes it special. You get out there and it is just you, the wind, and a horizon full of birds.

The coasts are a different story. The Atlantic Flyway funnels birds along the eastern seaboard, and Cape May is one of the classic places to stand and watch migration happen. In fall, warblers pour through in waves. In winter, waterfowl gather in numbers that fill entire bays. And offshore, pelagic trips can put you face to face with albatrosses, shearwaters, and storm-petrels that most birders only ever see on a screen. You can read what a good day out there looks like in our Whale Tales piece from a trip off the California coast.

The Pacific coast has its own flavor. Seabird colonies on islands off British Columbia are packed with Tufted Puffins, Rhinoceros Auklets, and Black Oystercatchers during the breeding season. Further south, California and Baja bring in a mix of species you will not find anywhere else in North America. And then there is the interior west, with the Rocky Mountains and the deserts and the sky islands of Arizona and New Mexico. That is where you find things like Elegant Trogons and Lucifer Hummingbirds, species that barely cross the border from Mexico. Our Sky Islands in Spring trip covers exactly that corner of the continent.

If you had to pick a single season, spring is hard to beat. Migration turns the whole continent into a highway. Birds that spent the winter in South America are heading north, and the Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana becomes a landing strip for exhausted migrants. Warblers, tanagers, orioles, they drop into coastal woodlands in numbers that feel almost unfair. South Texas is a good place to catch that, and if you want the full picture of what the state has to offer, look at the Big Bend and Hill Country trip as well. Fall is quieter but no less interesting, especially along the coasts and ridgelines where raptors stream south.

We run trips across all of this. Not every corner of the continent, but the places that matter most for birders who want to see something real. Small groups, good guides, and itineraries built around what the birds are actually doing that time of year. You can see what is on the schedule on our tour calendar, or just browse the full list of North America departures. If you are not sure where to start, our guides are the people to ask. Drop us a line through the contact page and we will help you figure out where to go.