In the world of birding, there are certain terms used to describe birds and the relation that we as individuals have with them. Phrases such as life bird, first of year, and state bird are all thrown around often and understood by others in the community. Another term that is well-known by birders and can sometimes hit them right in the heart is “nemesis bird.”

A nemesis bird is a particular species of bird that for whatever reason continues to elude you. The nemesis bird moniker usually comes about due to having taken many trips to try and see the same species only to come up empty each time. This inevitably causes frustration and even the feeling of being cursed when searching for that particular species. Its worth noting that a nemesis bird doesn’t even have to be a rare bird, it can simply be a common species that for whatever reason you have not had an encounter with ,yet even though you’ve put in the work.

If you’ve been birding long enough chances are extremely high that you’ve acquired a nemesis bird or two. For us, the Yellow-breasted Chat was a nemesis bird for a while until we finally saw one after numerous attempts.

For an example of a nemesis bird in media, look no further than the most well-known birding movie the big year. In this film, big year record holder Kenny bostic played by Owen Wilson just can’t seem to find a Snowy Owl, making multiple trips and even skipping out on an important event with his wife to try and spot this elusive species. 

While bostic does eventually get his snowy owl in the movie, in real life, the nemesis bird chase often remains ongoing. A nemesis of ours that still continues to vex us is the Tropical Parula. We chased reports of this beautiful bird in south texas, spending way more hours than we’d care to admit in multiple locations only to never get a conclusive look at one.

Hopefully someday we will get to check the Tropical Parula off of our nemesis bird list, but when we do, another species is sure to have added its name to that same list. 

What are your nemesis birds? Let us know in the comments below and as always, thanks for watching, we’ll see you next time, on Badgerland Birding.