At setup you keep one of two bonus cards, and then most players forget about it until the final count. That leaves points on the table. A bonus card is a small private goal, and it pays best when you treat it like one from the first turn.
The base game has 26 bonus cards. Card names and values below come from the cards and the official appendix, with counts checked against the Wingsearch database.
Two shapes of bonus card
Per-bird cards pay a flat amount for each qualifying bird. Most pay 2 points per bird: Falconer for predators, Bird Counter for flocking birds, Historian for birds named after a person, Rodentologist for birds that eat rodents, and a few more. Every extra bird adds points, so these cards reward you for leaning in all game.
Stepped cards pay a set amount once you reach a count, and more at a higher count. The nest cards, such as Nest Box Builder for cavity nests, pay 4 points for 4 or 5 birds and 7 points for 6 or more. A sixth bird is worth 3 points. A seventh is worth nothing extra.
That difference changes how you play:
- With a per-bird card, keep counting. Every bird that fits is worth 2 more than its printed points.
- With a stepped card, aim for the next step and then stop. Once you reach the top, the card no longer cares.
What the percentage means
Most bonus cards print the share of birds in the deck that qualify. Bird Feeder, for birds that eat seed, says 44%. Food Web Expert, for birds that eat only invertebrates, says 9%. The official FAQ corrects one card: Omnivore Expert should read 16%, not 10%.
Use the percentage to estimate how many qualifying birds you will see. Over a game you look at your five starting birds, every card you draw, and many trays. If you will see about 30 birds, a 13% card such as Falconer means about 4 predators will pass through your hands. A 31% nest card means about 9 birds with that nest.
Then ask how many you can actually play. Seeing a bird is not the same as affording it in the right habitat.
Some cards carry no percentage because they do not depend on the deck: Ecologist, Oologist, and Visionary Leader count things about your own mat or hand. Read those as plans, not bets.
Low percentage, high payoff
A low percentage is not a bad card. Falconer at 13% pays 2 points per predator, and predators also score on their own by hunting. Four predators make 8 bonus points plus whatever they cached or tucked.
A high percentage is not a good card either. Bird Feeder at 44% is easy to start, but it needs 8 seed eaters for its top step of 7 points. That is a lot of birds.
The best card is the one that fits the birds already in your hand. If two of your five starting birds qualify, that card is well on its way.
Birds that bring more bonus cards
Fifteen base birds have a white power: draw 2 new bonus cards and keep 1. You keep both your old card and the new one, and both score.
These birds are stronger than they look in the midgame. By round 2 or 3 you know what is on your mat. Drawing two cards then lets you pick the one your mat already satisfies. A bonus card that pays 4 to 7 points for birds you already played is a cheap turn.
The trick is timing. Too early, and you are choosing blind again. Too late, and you cannot add the birds the new card wants.
When to switch focus
Check your bonus card at the start of each round:
- Round 1: does my opening hand support it? If yes, prefer birds that fit when choices are close.
- Round 2: how many qualifying birds are on my mat, and how many in hand?
- Round 3: am I one bird short of a step? If so, that bird is worth several points more than it looks.
- Round 4: if the next step is out of reach, stop spending on it and score eggs instead.
Bonus cards and the Automa
If you play solo, the Automa takes a bonus card too, and uses it to choose which tray birds to take. It only uses cards that print a percentage, minus Breeding Manager and Backyard Birder. It never scores the card. The Automa lesson at Level 3 covers how that shapes your game.
Our Wingspan strategy guide has a short take on choosing a bonus card at setup that pairs with this lesson.
Next lesson
Wingspan Endgame and Scoring Math
Next, the endgame and scoring math: what each action is worth in round four, how goal ties pay out, and the tiebreaker that decided a championship.
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