Chicago Ornithological Society is proud to present, in association with our many birding partners, the inaugural Urban Birding Festival! Taking place in and around Chicago on September 14-15, 2024, this new festival will highlight the extraordinary bird diversity present in the area with over 400 recorded species in the Chicago region.

In Chicago and at the Urban Birding Festival, you will find that birding is not synonymous with remote, picturesque natural landscapes but rather with the urban environment. From Peregrine Falcons dominating the skyscraper canyons of the loop, to our beloved Rock Pigeons found roaming the concrete jungle, to the Connecticut Warblers stopping along the lakefront bike path, and the American Redstarts foraging across our city park and county forest systems, here the city provides a unique birding experience like no other.

The Urban Birding Festival aims to connect people and birds anywhere and everywhere while highlighting the conservation work across the region providing essential bird habitat. The festival will stretch across the Chicagoland area and see festival goers visit the finest birding locations the region has to offer with the center of our convening located at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum.