Wingspan

Locations
Call Number: Games
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Tools

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor Tools Shelf 2-week checkout	Games	2-week checkout	Reshelving
Downtown 2nd Floor Tools Shelf 2-week checkout	Games	2-week checkout	On Shelf
Downtown 2nd Floor Tools Shelf 2-week checkout	Games	2-week checkout	Due 11-17-2025
Downtown 2nd Floor Tools Shelf 2-week checkout	Games	2-week checkout	Due 10-10-2025
Downtown 2nd Floor Tools Shelf 2-week checkout	Games	2-week checkout	Due 11-29-2025
Downtown 2nd Floor Tools Shelf 2-week checkout	Games	2-week checkout	Due 11-28-2025
Downtown 2nd Floor Tools Shelf 2-week checkout	Games	2-week checkout	Due 11-13-2025
Downtown 2nd Floor Tools Shelf 2-week checkout	Games	2-week checkout	Due 11-10-2025
Downtown 2nd Floor Tools Shelf 2-week checkout	Games	2-week checkout	Due 11-19-2025
Downtown 2nd Floor Tools Shelf 2-week checkout	Games	2-week checkout	Due 10-21-2025
Downtown 2nd Floor Tools Shelf 2-week checkout	Games	2-week checkout	Due 11-12-2025
Downtown 2nd Floor Tools Shelf 2-week checkout	Games	2-week checkout	Due 11-21-2025

You are bird enthusiasts—researchers, bird watchers, ornithologists, and collectors—seeking to discover and attract the best birds to your network of wildlife preserves. Each bird extends a chain of powerful combinations in one of your habitats (actions). These habitats focus on several key aspects of growth: Gain food tokens via custom dice in a birdfeeder dice tower lay eggs using egg miniatures in a variety of colors draw from hundreds of unique bird cards and play them the winner is the player with the most points after 4 rounds. If you enjoy terraform Mars and gizmos, we think this game will take flight at your table. Featured components: 170 unique bird cards (57x87mm) 26 bonus cards (57x87mm) 16 automa cards (57x87mm) 103 food tokens 75 egg miniatures 5 custom wooden dice 5 player mats 1 birdfeeder dice tower 2-piece game trays custom tray 1 goal mat 8 goal tiles 1 first-player token 40 action cubes (8 per player) 4 clear plastic resource containers 1 scorepad (50 sheets; 1 sheet used for all players each game) 3 guidebook (core, automa, and appendix).
Players: 1-5
Age Range: 10+
Play Time: 40-70 minutes

DOCUMENTATION

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

I love it! submitted by Rebeccarowe on October 20, 2021, 9:45am This game is like chess on steroids yet with birds and score cards. There are a lot of layers of strategy and moving pieces to create a competitive game. And bonus - you learn a lot about our winged friends! So far my ten year old has managed to beat me every time and she doesn't even quite know that she is going to win until the final tally. Definitely plan extra time and a practice half game to understand the whole path of play and all the avenues for strategy. This game is beautiful, uses wonderfully textured high quality paper, and is a riveting strategy game without being war themed.

Absolutely excellent game submitted by redwood on June 13, 2022, 12:59pm Starts out complicated, but you get the hang of it. The art is stunning and you can learn a lot about birds. The game is different every time, since there are 170 unique birds involved, and never gets boring. I ended up purchasing it after I returned it to the library.

Fun Family Game submitted by clucas on June 13, 2022, 5:53pm Played with our 12 year old. Sounds complicated when first reading instructions, but once you play through it makes more sense.
Lots of different outcomes and fun to learn facts about so many birds.
Definitely takes us longer than what it says it should.

Favorites submitted by russelan on June 21, 2022, 9:56pm My favorite game. There's a lot going on so it takes a bit of time to learn, but it's fairly easy to grasp.

Stick with it! submitted by valerieclaires on July 5, 2022, 12:58pm This game has become one of our favorites! You might be discouraged at first, when you pull out a linen-paper rule book and a separate appendix to the rules, but have no fear! Try the swift start guided instructions for your first time, they're super helpful and get you actually started playing. This was a great choice for a friendly game night, as the engine-building style meant we weren't directly competing against one another, just playing together. If you're like us, you might want to set aside more time than the box suggests: we loved ooohing and ahhhing over the beautiful artwork in this game and it added a bit of time as we passed around cards as they were played to get a good look and read the flavor text facts.

Such fun!! submitted by annabanana11 on July 9, 2022, 7:56pm Very fun game, would really recommend for older kids and adults! It's a fun strategy game that's not very competitive and has a lot of fun facts to read while waiting for others to take their turns :)

definitely complicated submitted by lisa on August 5, 2022, 4:36pm not something you learn and play over lunch

Great submitted by Lissi on August 23, 2022, 10:31am I loved playing this game

New favorite! submitted by giffinka on August 26, 2022, 2:11pm This is my favorite game I've played this year! Yes, it takes some time to learn, but once you've got the hang of it the game is a joy. It is beautifully crafted and you learn about more birds than you knew existed in the world! Very replayable too because of all the combinations of birds you can play and great for two players. Like another reviewer, I'm going to purchase it myself after trying it from the library.

Worth the hype submitted by lrosero on September 6, 2022, 6:10pm I didn't think I would enjoy this game as much as I did. Usually I lean towards games with lots more player interaction. But this is just a breezy, relaxed yet fun and strategic little gem. Rules will probably be daunting to people who aren't used to reading rulebooks so I recommend looking up a few tutorials on YouTube.

Thank you AADL for making such fantastic games available to the community!

Great game submitted by hjshill on July 1, 2023, 5:14pm Really beautiful game that allows players to learn about birds. I really enjoy the fact that it's not overly competitive with other players.

Well made submitted by chowcy on July 11, 2023, 11:27pm This is a very well made game. From the pieces to the board to even the instruction book materials, they are all well designed and made of nice materials. Not only was this game designed to be multi-player, but there's also an "automaton" option if you just want to play by yourself. The game is similar to other games I've played (Trails, Seven Wonders) but it is all so real! Real bird illustrations, trivia, scientific names, egg laying amounts and behaviors, wingspan measurements... I love how the game uses real animal facts to inspire the cards' characteristics and "bird powers". Super educational and tbh, the game play is fun and good but what really makes this game stand out is the complete immersion into birds. I want to own this game so I can just stare at all the cards and learn more!

Well-designed game submitted by Diananana on August 17, 2023, 11:47am This is a really well-designed game. I agree with the praise of other reviewers. One feature I particularly appreciate is its finite number of turns. We can be sure of finishing it within a certain amount of time. Players must be mindful of the number of turns when planning their strategies.

Really good game! submitted by dtarrago on August 20, 2023, 8:42pm Wasn’t my favorite at first, but after multiple times playing it grew on me and has become a favorite. It’s particularly satisfying when you get multiple birds played in the same habitat that work well with each other and you get an “engine” going.

The bird theme is really aesthetically pleasing with beautiful bird cards and in my experience makes the game more accessible and intriguing as people are interested in the birds (the same game could’ve been designed with another theme but at least with the people I’ve played with, I think it would’ve been harder to get folks interested if there had been orcs and wizards for example rather than beautiful birds!).

Two relevant things to note if deciding whether this might be a game that’s up your alley:
1) there’s limited player interaction, especially at lower player counts. When played two player it really feels more like solitaire played side by side. With that, the game really isn’t aggressive meaning unlike Catan, as an example, you’re rarely ever doing something that very outwardly harms your opponent.
2) Game can be pretty long with higher player counts, especially if people are new to the game. With two people who know how to play it takes us 45 minutes.

Love this game! submitted by lcbeatty on June 15, 2024, 11:06pm This game is relatively easy to learn for so many concepts (drafting, engine building). Its great for new players looking to get into more complex games and good for experienced players as well. Plus the artwork is great. Can't go wrong with this game.

Beautiful and strategic submitted by samuelbs on June 21, 2024, 9:58pm 1–5 Players. Wingspan is a delightful board game that blends gorgeous bird illustrations with engaging engine-building gameplay. Players attract birds to different sections of their boards, creating chains of abilities that generate points. The game is easy to learn. While there's some competition for resources, the focus is on building your own efficient tableau rather than directly battling opponents. Some people dislike the lack of player interaction, but it doesn't bother anyone in my family. If you're looking for a visually stunning game with a relaxing yet rewarding experience, check out Wingspan!

Amazing Game submitted by kdmilliner on June 26, 2024, 7:13pm If you love birds, you'll love Wingspan. It is an engine building game that really amps up at the end if you play your cards right. I never feel like I got to accomplish everything I wanted to by the end, which makes me want to play again and again! The artwork is beautiful, and the expansions are also worth checking out.

I wouldn't call myself a competitive player submitted by synwong on July 1, 2024, 11:14am But I still have fun playing this game! I love learning about birds and looking at the beautiful artwork. This is a top-tier game.

Lovely game submitted by SHamadaAADL on July 6, 2024, 10:19pm This game has the amazing concept of making comfortable habitats for birds.
If the library had expansions, I think that everyone would enjoy them as well. I hope the library will consider getting them.

sdcytgb submitted by irisl on July 13, 2024, 10:17pm gvbnjuyhgb

A Household Favorite! submitted by asjackson on July 30, 2024, 8:41am This is an excellently-designed engine-building game, with beautiful artwork. It’s not a simple game and takes a couple of plays to learn, but I think it’s worthwhile. There is a solo version in the rules and I found that useful to get more oriented with the game.

Big Learning Curve, Big Payoff submitted by ccski on August 2, 2024, 9:58am I describe the learning curve as large as someone who, at the time of learning this game, hadn't played an engine-builder nor had I learned a game with more than, say, 10 or so rules. Now that I've played more complicated games like Root and Spirit Island, Wingspan is breezy by comparison. However, if you haven't played board games with a lot of rules, I'd recommend learning Wingspan with someone who has already played it so they can help you along when you forget something or otherwise get tangled up. Either way, if you choose to put in the time to learn this game, I think you'll be glad you did. The art is beautiful, the gameplay is (or overtime becomes) quite intuitive, and making decisions is just difficult enough to keep you on your toes without frustrating you.

Also, if you are okay with a slightly bigger learning curve but with (what I and my partner believe is) a greater payoff, give Earth a try. It is another engine-builder, but I think it is way more strategy based than Wingspan because the span of cards is less on a scale of INCREDIBLE to HORRIBLE and more good to less good. This makes it less luck-based, which is something I always felt meh about with Wingspan.

Gorgeous game submitted by berkleya on August 17, 2024, 9:28am Kinda steep learning curve but worth it once u get the hang of it!

One of my favorite games submitted by Jeannette Quirk on August 21, 2024, 2:00pm This isn't a quick game but it is very much a fun resource management game. There are several ways to earn points (card points, resource points, personal goal points, round goal points) so the strategy becomes 'what is the best way to earn points?'. That changes from game to game - this is a very replayable game.

Glad I gave in! submitted by mcbuck321 on June 27, 2025, 9:04pm My family has been obsessed with this game for some time and I finally decided to learn it and give it a try without them. With the massive number of unique cards it is an interesting and different game every time you play. I feel like I might just get into birding because of it!

Gorgeous, very fun game submitted by embny on June 29, 2025, 6:59am I love this game! Even at a first look, the artwork is beautiful, and the setup is creative. It’s a little complicated to learn at first, and there are some rules I’ve (re)checked while playing, but it’s not too difficult once you get the hang of it, and it’s been incredibly fun. It’s great to play with a group (though the game may take an hour or more). There are some parts of gameplay that are interactive, with moves directly impacting other players, but overall, you can win without focusing too much on offensive or defensive actions against others - a feature which I enjoy. Highly recommended!

A well-loved game, easy to learn on digital version submitted by mmarymol on June 30, 2025, 1:36pm This game is so popular among my friends. It's something I didn't expect to be such a hit -- but everyone is a bird nerd now. It takes a bit of an upstart, as others mentioned, but I found it really helpful to play on the digital version app before doing a lot of physical plays. That's an easy way to learn rules etc.

Fun! submitted by BillFamily92 on July 4, 2025, 7:57pm Takes about 20 min to learn but fun and different with each play through!

Gorgeous game! submitted by jjroetman on July 7, 2025, 11:58am As a birdwatching fan, I had to play this! The art is gorgeous, and mechanics are fun! Casual board game fans will enjoy!

Beautifully designed and fun to play submitted by cmegan on July 9, 2025, 3:10pm This game absolutely lives up to the hype! The gameplay is thoughtful and balanced. It is a lot to learn at first but it is fairly intuitive and easy to pick up.

Also, the game pieces are elegant and beautiful. If you are even slightly interested in birds this is also a great way to passively learn about many North American species.

Top notch fun submitted by bknopf on July 10, 2025, 7:16pm Wingspan is a wonderfully enjoyable game. The game is wonderfully artistic and engaging in your own right. Involving a higher level of strategy and time commitment, it's not casual at first but one of the best games I have tried.

Great for dedicated and more casual board gamers submitted by teallaurab on July 11, 2025, 11:11pm But has a bit of a learning curve if you’re on the casual side. Great replayability! And the art on the cards is lovely.

Like it submitted by maddymcpherson on July 14, 2025, 1:41pm Very good strategy game and it is fun!

Good submitted by agiedo on July 30, 2025, 2:05pm Beautiful board game and it's fun to play this.

Awesome submitted by Yaseen77 on August 3, 2025, 9:21pm I think the game wingspan is a great game and I think you should buy it. P.s I have this game at home

True work of art! submitted by ameliak9111 on August 20, 2025, 11:49am Easily one of my favorite board games. The long instructions seem daunting at first, but it's pretty easy to pick up on the general mechanics once you start playing. Then comes the infinite ways to strategize your moves. Along with the great gameplay, the game has good replayability, beautiful artwork, fun game pieces, and bird facts! My favorite part of the game is how every mechanic is based on real bird behavior. True work of art!