On Big Day 2026, Team Sapsucker Highlights the Shared Birds of Appalachia and Guatemala

On May 9, 2026, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Team Sapsucker held their annual Big Day, a 24-hour marathon to find as many birds as possible and raise funds for conservation. This year, the team divided into two groups: one exploring the Appalachia region of North Carolina and Tennessee; and the other in Guatemala’s Maya Forest, a sister landscape that harbors many of the same bird species at different times of year.

By the end of 24 hours, the teams had found an amazing 306 species in total, including 25 species that were spotted at both locations. The tally highlighted how it takes multiple landscapes to support migratory bird populations.

Team Appalachia scoured forests and fields of the Blue Ridge Mountains looking for colorful warblers and listening for the sweet songs of thrushes and orioles. Just a few weeks earlier, many of these birds had been in Guatemala, building up reserves in preparation for the long flight north. Meanwhile, Team Guatemala was deep in the Maya Forest (or Selva Maya) searching for migratory birds that had yet to leave for North America, as well as hundreds of colorful tropical species that live there year-round.

These shared birds rely not only on forests in the United States and Canada, but also on forests in Latin America that are threatened by illegal deforestation, forest fires, and rising temperatures. To highlight the value of international conservation partnerships, Team Sapsucker was joined in the field by local experts from the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy (in North Carolina and Tennessee) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (in Guatemala).

The importance of birds and conservation was even underscored in a special video announcement by Guatemala’s president, Bernardo Arévalo de León.

Shared Birds Thousands of Miles Apart

Both teams started in the wee hours of the morning and spotted shared birds within the first 30 minutes. Team Guatemala spotted an Acadian Flycatcher roosting at night and Team Appalachia an Indigo Bunting singing before dawn. A few hours later and 1,300 miles to the south, Team Guatemala found their own Indigo Bunting, an immature male, in some fruiting trees near the town of Petén.

Among the 25 species seen at both locations were 16 Neotropical migrants: Olive-sided Flycatcher, Indigo Bunting, Swainson’s Thrush, Black-and-white Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, and more—each thousands of miles apart but all relying on the same forests at different times of the year. 

“I love it when you’re seeing a bunch of unfamiliar birds and then suddenly there’s something you recognize from the States, like an Eastern Wood-Pewee,” said Team Guatemala’s captain, Marshall Iliff. 

“It was cool to think about not only the fact that the birds make the migration, but that it was happening so presently that some of the population could still be in the Selva Maya and some are already in North Carolina,” said Kate Reed from Team Appalachia.  

A Marathon of Birds

From miles of bumpy dirt roads in the Maya Forest to traversing hills and valleys on windy roads in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the teams got a taste of it all.

Team Appalachia spent 16 hours and 11 minutes birding, tallying 120 species from the lowlands around Asheville, North Carolina (2,100 feet), to Roan Highlands at 6,286 feet elevation. They fueled their journey with chocolate-covered espresso beans and team huddles to build excitement. 

With a larger list of possible species, Team Guatemala started the day just after midnight and rallied all day. They birded for a total of 23 hours and 42 minutes and tallied 211 species. “The hardest part,” said Kevin Ebert of Team Guatemala, “was keeping up the momentum in the heat of the afternoon.” By the final minutes of the day, Iliff was struggling to add just one more species to their list. 

“I was literally falling asleep while scanning with the flashlight. My hand would droop and so would the beam of light, but then I heard a Spot-tailed Nightjar in the distance, and well that woke me right up,” said Iliff. “It was all worth it.” 

Team Appalachia found 24 warbler species—a day to remember for any birder. The best had to be the Golden-winged Warbler, a species whose population has declined precipitously and was the poster bird for Big Day this year. Golden-winged Warblers really do exemplify what this year’s Big Day was all about. Some 25% of the Golden-winged Warbler population relies on forests in Mesoamerica, according to a recent study from WCS and the Cornell Lab. 

In the United States, the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy is restoring and protecting critical habitat for Golden-winged Warblers in the exact places where the team spotted them. “When we heard the Golden-winged Warbler, the whole group got really pumped and then we heard a second one. It’s a really cool conservation story knowing that people are out there doing the work to make sure this bird sticks around,” said David Wiles, a member of Team Appalachia.

The team moved on to Hooper Lane, a wetland spot they’d been banking on to pick up shorebirds, waterfowl, and raptors. But it was empty of shorebirds when they arrived. Luckily, Kate Reed spotted the team’s first and only Great Blue Heron perched in a distant tree.

“After birding at three unproductive spots that were really good during scouting, we were pretty bummed. But we did a little huddle and then when we were about an hour from sunset our luck turned,” said Wiles. 

The team had set a goal of 120 species for their big day, team member Cynthia Crowley said—but they were stuck at 118. Then right as the team was pulling out of a parking lot, SAHC’s Sarah Sheeran yelled to stop the car. “We all look up and two Common Nighthawks are flying above the parking lot. So she saved us—that was a real highlight,” said Crowley. Species number 119 got “lots of cheering as two nighthawks flew out of sight after the whole team got eyes on them,” said Megan King.

As the sun was setting the team added the last new bird of the day—a Virginia Rail they heard grunting in the reeds and managed to see with a thermal-imaging scope. That took them to their goal of 120 species and capped off an exhilarating day of birding for Team Appalachia. 

“It was such a special experience for me as more of a beginner birder. I am certainly leaving Big Day feeling proud of what our team was able to accomplish but, even more, so inspired to continue my birding journey!”

—Megan King, Team Appalachia

Back in Guatemala, the team started the morning strong with a 3-mile “power walk” through Puerto Arturo. “We blitzed through the forest and found 100 species [in just 2.5 hours of birding] and our local partners were nailing every call in the forest—every call!” said Iliff. Highlights included surprises like a Lovely Cotinga, a Black-and-white Warbler, and two iconic raptors: Ornate Hawk-Eagle and Black-collared Hawk. 

In the morning at Puerto Arturo, the team also heard a species that no one knew. “Everyone was scratching their heads, so we whipped out Merlin Bird ID and Merlin returned a Streaked Flycatcher!” said Iliff. “A rare bird for Petén, and one that some of the Guatemalan birders hadn’t seen for 3–4 years.” said Iliff. Luckily, after the suggestion from Merlin, the team was able to track down the bird, see it, and confirm it—a Streaked Flycatcher indeed. 

Team Guatemala’s luck continued throughout the day, spotting more Neotropical migrants such as Yellow-throated Vireo, Tennessee Warbler, and Northern Yellow Warbler alongside tropical species such as Stripe-throated Hermit, White-collared Manakin, and Keel-billed Toucan. 

The team was aiming to beat the Petén Big Day record of 213 set in 2017, when Iliff also helped lead a team along a different but nearby route through the famous Tikal ruins. So the race was on to tally a few more species to push them towards the 213 mark.

As the sun was about to set the team jumped onto a boat to pick up a few marsh birds. The boat captain sped through the waters and deftly nosed the boat into a patch of reeds. Right on cue, up popped a Pinnated Bittern—soon upstaged by three Yellow-breasted Crakes. “It was an incredible experience watching three of these little guys scurry and jump around the water lettuce like a little gerbil. It was the best 20 minutes of marsh birding that I’ve ever done.” said Iliff. 

The incredible marsh birding brought them up to 207 species and a late evening stretch brought the team a Spot-tailed Nightjar, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Yucatan Nightjar, and American Barn Owl to complete the day at 211 species and one tired (but happy) group of birders. 

Birds Uniting People

Meeting local birders and building community was a highlight for both teams. 

Marquette Crockett and Sarah Sheeran from the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy provided invaluable on-the-ground knowledge about birding routes, sites, and species for Team Appalachia. “SAHC folks have been amazing to work with,” said Wiles, “showing us around their properties and connecting us with the local birding communities. It’s all been amazing.” 

The crew was covered in mud and dirt after a long day of work, and we shared our gear to help them see birds they’d never seen before. They were just so excited.

—David Wiles, Team Appalachia

Meeting other people during the day brought unexpected moments of joy. Team Appalachia ran into Amy Jackson, March 2026 eBirder of the month, who helped them spot a rare Olive-sided Flycatcher at Beaver Lake. Earlier in the week they were birding in an area that had been damaged by Tropical Storm Helene when they met a clean-up crew from Mountain True. When they found out about Big Day, “they got real excited,” said Wiles. “The crew was covered in mud and dirt after a long day of work, and we shared our gear to help them see birds they’d never seen before. They were just so excited.” 

Team Guatemala was joined by four local bird experts who helped them find key species along the route and navigate the dusty roads of the Maya Forest. “Kevin, Fernando, Cati, and Santiago were with us the whole time and they were so sharp, gracious, fun to be with, and super high endurance,” said Marshall Iliff.  

“All the local folks were so accommodating, especially our hosts from the Wildlife Conservation Society,” said Kevin Ebert, “trying to help us in any way possible, both with birds and keeping us comfortable. There was always so much good food.”  

Birding for Conservation

The excitement around Global Big Day inspired the president of Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo de León, to make a formal announcement sharing his support for conservation of the Maya Forest to highlight birds as well as national pride and culture.

The Cornell Lab has been working with Wildlife Conservation Society to restore and protect the Five Great Forests in Mesoamerica, including the Maya Forest. The Five Great Forests form an area only the size of Virginia—yet they offer a home to billions of migratory songbirds and serve as critical wintering grounds and stopover sites.

“Our goal is to harness the power of eBird models to identify where investments in restoration and forest protections are most needed—advancing the vision of the Five Great Forests Initiative to secure 10 million hectares of permanently protected forests and restore 500,000 hectares of degraded lands,” said Anna Lello-Smith, a conservation scientist at WCS. 

“What happens in Central America directly affects the birds we love in the United States and Canada,” said Lello-Smith. “These forests are at the heart of migration, sustaining many of our birds for more than half the year.” 

In the Maya Forest’s sister forest, the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy has been hard at work to restore critical breeding habitat. SAHC received a grant from the Lab’s Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative to restore sensitive habitats damaged during Tropical Storm Helene. The site supports a host of high-elevation, rare and at-risk species, including Golden-winged Warbler, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Northern Saw-whet Owl, and Red Crossbill. 

Tallying the results, sites under SAHC management supported an incredible 74% of the birds Team Appalachia spotted during Big Day, with 12 of those species observed exclusively at SAHC sites, according to team captain Jenna Curtis. 

“Getting to go birding on [SAHC] properties… crystallized for me the power of partnerships between the Lab and SAHC, but also between SAHC and their numerous partners,” said Megan King from Team Appalachia.

The Cornell Lab is grateful to the many donors who supported Big Day, our biggest conservation fundraiser of the year. There’s still time to support bird conservation across the hemispheres with a 2026 Big Day donation.

The most impressive part… was the people who came together to support the cause… Meeting and interacting with these incredible, like-minded human beings was the highlight of this trip.”

—Rachel England, Team Guatemala

Team Appalachia

The Appalachia team was Jenna Curtis, Cynthia Crowley, Megan King, Kate Reed, and David Wiles, joined by Cornell Lab partners Sarah Sheeran and Marquette Crockett from the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy with support from Travis Bordley and Josie Cohen.

Team Guatemala

Team Guatemala was Marshall Iliff, Kevin Ebert, Rachel England, and Melissa Mancuso, joined by expert local birders Kevin Estuardo Reyes Ramos, Belmont Fernando Avelar Morales, Audelia Catalina Ramírez López, Josué Santiago Juarez, and Cornell Lab partners at Wildlife Conservation Society. The team was also supported by the Petén Birders Association and the Carmelita Cooperative.