WINGS began in 1973 when Will Russell and Davis Finch formed Northeast Birding, offering a few tours in New England and the Canadian Maritimes. In 1977 Rich Stallcup joined the company, giving us broader knowledge and better geographical balance, and our tour offerings continued to expand primarily in North and South America. In February 1980, we concluded an agreement with the English birdwatching tour company, Sunbird, under which we offered a schedule of joint tours worldwide. In July 1980 we formed WINGS, with Will Russell as Managing Director. We purchased Sunbird in August 1982, and David Fisher was appointed Managing Director. In 1987 we moved our headquarters from Northeast Harbor, Maine, to Tucson, Arizona. In 2000 Steve Rooke was appointed Managing Director of Sunbird. In 2015 Matt Brooks was appointed Managing Director of WINGS. In 2021 we retired the Sunbird name to better operate as one company. In 2023 we quietly celebrated our 50th year of running excellent birdwatching tours.
The Tucson office is staffed from 10:00 am to 3:30 pm, Mountain Standard Time, Monday through Friday.
Office staff: Greg Greene, Erin Olmstead, Stephanie Schaefer, and Sara Pike. Matt Brooks is WINGS’ Managing Director.
Our tours are planned as ones that we ourselves would like to go on, so they are very strongly oriented toward birds. All WINGS leaders have varied interests in natural history and other related fields, but the timing and itinerary of our tours is dictated almost entirely by ornithological considerations. A few tours combine serious birdwatching with other activities appropriate to the area, or even with simple relaxation, and these are clearly indicated.
Unless otherwise noted in the tour text, group size for our tours ranges from four to 14 people plus the leader(s). Very occasionally, group sizes will be larger, as when the use of chartered aircraft or boats requires larger groups to keep our per-person costs within bounds.
If you have never taken a birding tour, you might want to look at our essay Choosing a Birding Tour.
Birdwatching involves some odd hours and at least a moderate amount of physical activity, and we want all participants to understand fully what’s required. Birds are most active during the early hours, and often we’ll have a pre-breakfast walk or an early breakfast before leaving for more distant points. All tours require some walking, often moderate, sometimes for periods of up to six hours. Birdwatching is continuous, of course, and we rest as necessary. At times we climb hills, walk on uneven or wet terrain, or push through vegetation. On tours with more than one leader, we are sometimes able to have “faster” and “slower” groups. Lunches are often picnics, but sometimes we have a sit-down or “fast food” lunch. In warm climates we usually rest during the heat of the day, venturing out again in mid- to late afternoon and returning to the hotel an hour or so before dinner. A bird list is compiled most days, usually before or after dinner. Nightlife more adventurous than an after-dinner drink is seldom possible on most tours, as we normally stay in hotels well away from commercial development.
All activities are optional within the general framework of the tour. We encourage and assist participants in the pursuit of personal aims if these do not conflict with the conduct of the tour. Persons with specific non-ornithological goals should contact WINGS before the tour to determine whether they can be realized.
While most tour participants have been birdwatching for some time, there are still others who are more novice. Birding skills may vary on tour, but the basics involve binoculars, knowing how to use them, and being familiar with at least the rudiments of how to watch birds. If you have never watched birds before, please contact us and we’ll suggest a few ways to help you prepare for your tour. Our Tour Leaders are adept at working with all skill levels.
Most WINGS tours are considered "All Inclusive", meaning the price includes all travel as noted within the itinerary, lodging in comfortable hotels/motels or their equivalent unless otherwise indicated, all meals unless otherwise noted, a drink with meals (including a beer, and sometimes wine, at dinner), tour materials, and the services of the leader(s). Routine tips for included meals, porters, drivers, and other service providers are also included. Tips/Gratuities for WINGS leaders are at your discretion.
In a few cases (mainly some cruises), WINGS pricing covers all aspects of the tour except meals and lodging, which may be paid directly to the cruise line.
Airport transfers are included in most WINGS tours, but can vary from tour to tour. Consult your Tour Manager if you have specific questions about these arrangements.
The following items are not included in the tour price: passports, visas, departure taxes, immunizations, excess baggage charges, optional excursions, telephone calls, flights/transportation to/from the tour destination, laundry, room service, snacks, or anything of a purely personal nature. If you have questions, please contact us.
The Single Room Supplement (SRS) listed for each tour provides a single room throughout the tour unless otherwise noted. Certain small lodges will not provide single rooms if they are heavily booked; these are listed in the “Tour Notes” section of their respective tour itinerary.
The standard package price of WINGS tours is based on double occupancy (in other words, each participant pays half of the room cost). The cost of the SRS covers the cost of the second half of the room cost for one person, rather than be split between two occupants as it is in the base package price. WINGS does not mark up the cost of the single room supplement.
When you register as a single participant, you can request to be assigned a roommate. If there is a suitable roommate for you, we may be able to pair you up with another participant who is willing to share. If no one else in the group is looking for a roommate, then the single room supplement applies and will be added to your tour balance invoice.
There are inherent risks with traveling in general. Travel may include going to locations that are far from medical care or that have different cultural standards that may feel/appear less safe than a home country where certain things can be expected. WINGS makes every effort to notify participants, mainly through the General Information for a specific tour as well as directly when our group meets up with our guides, of anything in particular they should be aware of in order to help our clients feel more comfortable while on tour. Tour participants are also encouraged to research their area of interest and where their tour is going in order to have a better understanding of the location, terrain, cultural standards, etc.
Our COVID-19 policy is in line with our standard vaccination policy, which is that we highly recommend keeping up-to-date on all relevant vaccinations for travel, including destination-specific requirements.
Tour participants will be in close proximity during much of the tour and are encouraged to exercise commonsense health practices. Vaccine recommendations are available for most destinations and we will follow published guidance. Please note on-tour health protocol may change on short notice. Simple common courtesy will go a long way in making the tour experience better for everyone.
FOR OUR ON-TOUR HEALTH PROTOCOL, SEE HERE.
Restrictions on participation are a matter of common sense. If you have experienced any sort of health symptoms within 3-5 days of the tour departure (fever, coughing, sore throat or other symptom that is not conducive to healthy travel) it is strongly recommended to see a doctor prior to traveling to ensure your own health and safety and that of others while on tour. Notify the WINGS Office/Tour Manager of your current situation as well so we can be aware of precautions you have taken prior to going on tour.
If you have a health problem or any physical limitation that may hamper or restrict your full involvement in any aspect of the tour, or about which we should be aware for your safety (for example, walking difficulties, diabetes, asthma, angina, and so on), please advise us in detail and in writing at the time you reserve space. We will provide any information that you or your doctor may need to judge your capacity to participate fully in the tour, and we may request a physician’s letter indicating that you are healthy enough to participate on the tour. We do not normally program strenuous physical exercise, but if it cannot be avoided, the fact is made explicit in the tour description and in the General Information sheets for the tour.
Participants should be able to complete moderate walks of up to a couple miles, ride in any seat in tour vehicles (and be able to enter/exit vehicles on their own), and meet the simple schedule of the tour. We reserve the right to send home persons unable or unwilling to conduct themselves in a manner compatible with the satisfactory operation of the tour.
Please note that we do not allow the collecting of plants or animals during any tour.
Reservations for tours under $10,000, and any unpriced tour, require a deposit of $500 per person. Tours over $10,000 require a deposit of $1000. $250 of the deposit is non-refundable upon receipt (but see Refunds* section below). Certain tours, such as some cruises, may have higher deposit requirements; participants will be notified of those deposit amounts when they register. After the tour is priced and if the tour price exceeds $10,000, WINGS may send a supplemental invoice for the difference.
Reservations with deposits are accepted in order of their receipt. Telephone reservations are accepted provided that they are followed by the appropriate deposit within 10 business days. Reservations can be made online here. If you prefer to sign up ‘on paper’ a printable PDF form is available at the previous link.
Invoices for the balance of the tour price will be emailed about 3-4 months before the departure date. Payment is due on receipt of our invoice. Please note that well-subscribed tours may be invoiced and confirmed on an earlier time frame than this.
Payment must be made in US dollars by check, ACH (US accounts only), bank transfer or credit card (MasterCard, Visa, American Express, or Discover).
Note that WINGS offers a 4% discount on the tour balance for most tours (some cruises excepted) when the balance on the final tour invoice is paid by check, ACH (US accounts only), or bank transfer before a date specified on the invoice. Details can be found here. This includes registrations that are received after a tour is confirmed, provided there is sufficient time before the tour. If you have any questions about our payment and discount policies, please contact the WINGS office.
*WINGS offers a one-time courtesy transfer of a full deposit into a credit for future use or directly to another tour. Details below.
Refunds for cancellations by the client are made according to the following schedule:
Please note that in some cases, canceling a tour at any time may also be subject to cancellation penalties for deposits or payments, if any, made toward air tickets, permits, or other tour related activities required to be purchased prior to the tour.
If a tour registrant cancels a booking, WINGS permits a one-time penalty-free transfer of a tour deposit to a subsequent WINGS tour as long as the cancellation and transfer takes place prior to invoicing (normally 3 months before departure but it varies), and as long as the tour to which the deposit is transferred begins within 18 months of the date of cancellation. If the tour registrant cancels the subsequent tour, the original deposit will not be refunded or transferred.
No refunds are given for skipped meals or other skipped on-tour activities.
Refunds in the event of Cancellations by WINGS are addressed below in "Tour Alterations".
Price increases may occur unexpectedly. In costing tours months in advance, we try to anticipate the rising cost of airfares, ground transportation, lodging, and exchange rates. Tours that have very small group sizes at invoicing time may also need a small surcharge to run. If unexpected increases occur, we reserve the right to charge participants an increase of up to 10% of the tour price. If greater increases are necessary, participants may withdraw without penalty.
Our tours are carefully planned but sometimes circumstances beyond our control require us to make significant changes after a tour has been published on the WINGS website. If such changes, for example in itinerary or primary leadership, are necessary before a tour has been confirmed to run (70 days before tour departure unless otherwise specified), participants will be informed and may withdraw from the tour without penalty.
If significant changes occur after a tour has been confirmed but before it has departed, it will be WINGS' decision whether or not we can run the tour successfully. Participants may withdraw without penalty only if they have WINGS written agreement. If WINGS decides the tour cannot be run successfully, the tour price will be refunded.
If significant changes to itinerary or mode of operation are forced upon us while a tour is in progress—for example, by an airline strike, weather delay, or political crisis—WINGS will adjust the tour to the new realities as best it can but other than for its leaders and staff, WINGS is not responsible for the additional costs. These costs, if any, are a participant expense and will be invoiced after the tour concludes. Please note that tour leaders may make itinerary adjustments during the course of their tours if local conditions warrant.
Note that in the event of cancellation by WINGS, clients are responsible for cancellation penalties for their own travel arrangements (flights, etc.).
Please note that when two leaders are listed, the second may not accompany the tour if there are insufficient registrations.
In case of cancellation by WINGS, all deposits and other payments for the tour or tour extension will be refunded. Participants should note that the cancellation of a tour’s pre-tour or post-tour extension does not affect their rights and obligations with respect to the main portion of the same tour. Please note as well that WINGS reserves the right to cancel all or part of a tour at any time if we feel that the health and/or safety of our participants is at risk. For more details on refunds, see above.
The standard period for invoicing for the tour balance on a WINGS tour is 3-4 months (120-98 days) prior to a tour’s start date. Our tours are officially confirmed approximately 2 weeks after invoicing, on a date set by the Tour Manager. We always recommend waiting until official Tour Confirmation before purchasing flights and moving forward with plans around a tour. Please note that in some cases, an earlier invoicing and confirmation timeline may be set; for example Christmastime tours or tours that are well-subscribed (see next paragraph).
WINGS regularly invoices (and confirms) well-subscribed tours on an earlier schedule. These are typically tours that have filled early (and possibly have a waitlist), and/or the tour has internal flights that may become space-limited as the tour start date approaches (such as Alaska). If a tour is a candidate for this process, registrants will be notified sometime in the months prior to the normal invoicing date. Invoicing on an earlier timeline allows participants to make their travel arrangements much sooner than would otherwise be possible.
Tour registrants are advised to be cautious about purchasing services such as flights from home or personal pre- or post-tour activities prior to WINGS’ formal confirmation of their tour. If WINGS has to cancel or alter a tour before formal Tour Confirmation, registrants will be responsible for any penalties associated with the cancellation of such services. If the early purchase of such services is important, registrants are advised to discuss their purchase with WINGS.
See Visas in our FAQ.
See Travel Insurance in our FAQ.
Up until 2021, many bookings from the UK for our tours came through our sister company, Sunbird. If you are from the United Kingdom, we appreciate that you may have some questions about the whole process from contacting the WINGS office, to booking, payment, flights, and joining the tour. See Booking from the UK in our FAQ for detailed information on these points.
Privacy Policy: This policy details the information we collect from you and what we do with it. This is information collected when you have just requested information about a tour, requested to be added to our mailing list, or if you have booked on a tour.
What data we collect: When you contact us to request information about our tours, either by phone, email or in person at events, we keep a note of your name, postal address, and email address if supplied.
If you subsequently book on a tour, we additionally keep a record of your gender, passport details (date of issue, date of expiry, your date of birth), any dietary or other travel requirements, health issues or special needs you wish to make us aware of, your preferred contact in the event of an emergency, your home and/or mobile phone number, if supplied. We also keep a record of which tours you have traveled on with us. We also record the date that you contacted us and, if we have that information, how you first came to WINGS.
We do not use ‘cookies’ on our website or store any information on what use you have made of our website. We do not record or store any financial information such as bank account or credit card details.
What we do with the data we collect: We will from time to time send you print or email newsletters. If you book on a tour we may need to send details of your passport to airlines to book flight tickets, or information on dietary issues to ground agents to notify hotels of any special diets, or to hotels directly. We also circulate a participant list to everyone taking part on a tour. This list contains an abbreviated physical address (city/state/country) and your email address. We ask you at the time of booking if we can do this or if you prefer not to have your email address included. Your tour leader is also sent a copy of your passport details and information on any dietary or health issues to assist with the running of the tour. After a tour, we may use photos which contain participants on our website or in social media.
What we do not do with your data: We do not send or sell your data to any outside bodies or organizations for marketing or other purposes. Data is only sent to airlines, hotels and ground agents related to any tour you may have booked on as described above.
How long do we keep your data: Your details are kept by us for as long as we need them (based on the original reason for contacting us). We conduct periodic reviews of your data and remove any that we feel is no longer needed. If you book on a tour your booking form and any associated correspondence is kept for a minimum of seven years as is legally required by HM Revenue and Customs.
Your rights: You have the right to ask us to confirm if we have any information on you and to request a copy of that information (we will ask for identification to prove that you are you).
You have the right at any time to request that we remove all data we hold on you, except where we have a legal requirement for purposes such as taxation/revenue.
While WINGS BIRDWATCHING TOURS, INC., spares no effort in its attempt to provide its clients and staff with a safe travel environment, we frequently travel to remote locations where medical care may be nonexistent or minimal, where the terrain may be rugged and unpeopled, and where local governments may respond very differently than our own. We expect our clients to take reasonable and prudent care for their own safety and to recognize that WINGS cannot guarantee anyone’s personal safety. For these reasons, we are willing to provide you with the tour opportunity you have requested only if you accept your personal responsibilities and you release us from liability for your safety within the limits of the law by entering into the Assumption Of Risk And Liability Release Agreement that you will be sent at the time you register for a tour.
Download the Assumption Of Risk And Liability Release Agreement [PDF, 64KB].
Note: The WINGS website constitutes our document of record. Should published or distributed materials concerning tour descriptions, itineraries, costs, etc., differ in any way from the current WINGS website version, the WINGS website version is correct.
Please see our FAQ for additional details.