There are competitions all over the world starring athletes, dogs, horses, and even trees! But one contest in the state of Wisconsin is all about birds — fat birds, to be exact. It’s called Fat Bird Week! Officials announced the winner of this year’s silly event on May 12. The white-throated sparrow took the top prize in the chunky contest!
Fat Bird Week is organized by a group called the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin (NRF). The group’s leaders were inspired by a different contest that happens every year in Alaska — Fat Bear Week! In that contest, officials at the state’s Katmai National Park post photos of its brown bears online. About 2,200 bears live in the park, slurping up salmon from the Brooks River. Every year, voters hop online to pick their favorite chubby bear photos!
However, Fat Bear Week is not meant to make fun of the animals — it’s meant to celebrate their good health! The bears spend long amounts of time resting during the winter months, so they have to gain plenty of weight ahead of time to have enough energy to get through the winter safely. That means that fat bears are often healthy bears!
Folks at the NRF realized that many birds have reasons to bulk up too! For birds that stick around during cold weather, the added fat can help them stay warm. Other bird species to warmer areas in the world. Those long journeys require lots of energy, and the birds can get that energy from fat. So, if there could be a contest to celebrate chubby bears, why not chubby birds? Fat Bird Week was born!
The contest kicked off for the first time in 2024. Organizers posted eight photos of birds online. They all belonged to species that were to Wisconsin. After seven rounds of voting, the horned lark won the chubby chirper contest!
Officials were eager to bring the event back for 2025. They posted eight new birdy photos, giving each feathery contestant a silly nickname. Voting began on May 2. The Well-Fed Yellow Warbler beat the Round Yellow Rumped Warbler in an early round, while the Dark-Eyed Junco in the Trunko soared past the Neckless Northern Cardinal.
People cast nearly 5,000 votes in the online contest. In the end, it all came down to the Spherical White-Throated Sparrow versus the Rotund Ruby-Throated Hummingbird in the final round. The sparrow took most of the votes, making it the new chubby champ!
Shelly Torkelson is a leader with the NRF. She said that although Fat Bird Week is full of wacky fun, it also plays a big role in raising awareness about the importance of protecting Wisconsin’s wildlife. “There was lots of interest in how to help our adorable native birds,” Torkelson told News-O-Matic.
The expert even had some tips for folks who want to help. “One of the best things you can do is to plant native species of plants,” Torkelson said. “They’re the best at keeping birds fat and healthy because they provide food like berries, nuts, and seeds.”
Eat up, birdies!
By Tyler Burdick
Updated May 14, 2025, 5:00 P.M. (ET)
