Uncommon Excursions for Birding Enthusiasts
Founded by professional ornithologist Jeff Birek, every tour at Pteravia is an adventure of connection between people, nature, and the world around us. Our passion goes beyond spotting and identifying birds, it involves immersing ourselves in nature and learning about birds’ ecology and behaviors to gain a deeper understanding of their lives.
Whether you’re a novice enthusiast or a seasoned birder, Pteravia invites you to join us on an uncommon excursion where every bird is a moment of discovery and every adventure a celebration of nature’s vital beauty.
Our Mission
Pteravia aims to enrich lives through exceptional birding tours that connect enthusiasts of all levels with nature and each other. We focus on safe, inclusive, and impactful journeys, ensuring memorable experiences and positive contributions to local ecosystems and communities.
Looking for a custom adventure?
Learn more about our custom birding tour options.
Transformative Birding Encounters
Every birding tour with Pteravia offers more than just sightings, it’s a chance to experience the natural world in a way that leaves a lasting impression. From the prairies and Black Hills near Rapid City, South Dakota to other unique US and international habitats, each excursion is designed to be immersive and memorable.
Community Driven Birding Excursions
Great trips are made with great people. Whether you’re joining a small group San Diego birding tour or a custom private trip elsewhere in the US or abroad, Jeff ensures every experience fosters connection, learning, and fun.
Conservation Awareness
A connection to nature is the first step toward preservation. On every birding tour, participants gain insight into local ecosystems, species conservation, and the behaviors that make birds so fascinating. Understanding these habitats helps protect them for future generations.
Local Collaboration & Custom Tours
We actively contribute to the economic and environmental well-being of the communities we visit, ensuring that local insights and shared benefits drive our engagements.
We deliver customized birding tours that benefit both participants and the locations they visit. Each adventure blends local knowledge, sustainability, and expert guidance.
Meet Your Expert Guide, Ornithologist Jeff Birek
With more than two decades of experience leading field-based bird studies and tours, Jeff Birek is not only a professional ornithologist – he’s a seasoned adventurer who has visited 27 countries on five continents.
Working as an ornithologist, wildlife biologist, outdoor educator, guide, and biological consultant during his career, Jeff has found many rare birds including the first breeding American Three-toed Woodpeckers in Nebraska in nearly 100 years, a lost Laysan Albatross hopelessly looking for the ocean in the middle of the Sonoran Desert, and a critically endangered Black Stilt in New Zealand (among many others).
A Champion of Conservation
Driven by an unshakeable commitment to conservation, Jeff spent 15 years working and partnering with avian non-profits, government agencies, and universities across North America including Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, Point Blue Conservation Science, Institute for Wildlife Studies, Pronatura Veracruz, Golden Gate Raptor Observatory, Coastal Virginia Wildlife Observatory, University of California Davis, Colorado State University, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, as well as state and local agencies.
Jeff partners with local organizations to promote and support wildlife research and conservation projects. By publicizing our tours and their contributions, we raise awareness and garner support for efforts that protect the people, wildlife, and habitat within the communities we visit.
A Life-Long Quest
Jeff’s lifelong quest for adventure and connection with nature began when he was six years old roaming among the old fig orchards near his home, encountering Red-tailed Hawks, Northern Mockingbirds, Turkey Vultures, and more. A family backpacking trip to the Sierra Nevadas amidst rugged terrain ignited Jeff’s passion for exploration.
This passion led him to immerse himself in birding in central California and later to diverse experiences across the globe, from studying ecology in New Zealand to working with Great Gray Owls in Yosemite and monitoring Greater Sage Grouse in Wyoming.
More recently, Jeff worked at the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies where he led large-scale bird monitoring efforts across nine states, and trained more than 200 field biologists on bird identification by sight and sound. He also worked as an environmental consultant before following his call for adventure and focusing on the guided birding services Pteravia has to offer.
A Vision for the Future
As the founder of Pteravia, Jeff’s mission is to share his wealth of knowledge, expertise, and boundless enthusiasm for birds with fellow adventurers. Jeff is an experienced, tireless tour leader who is up for any adventure and is willing to take on extra tasks so you can safely and comfortably enjoy your birding tour.
Jeff invites you to join him on an immersive avian adventure of discovery, where the thrill of exploration meets the joy of conservation and every day is a celebration of our incredibly diverse planet.
Join Pteravia on an uncommon birding excursion.
