Songbirds: Cozy Times in a Forest Full of Noisy Birds
Fill the forest with the competing songs and sounds of different varieties of feathered creatures in the fun puzzle of Songbirds.
Another cozy game! Songbirds might appear to be quite competitive on the surface, what with the birds fighting to be heard over one another. Yet the artwork is adorable, and laying out the grid of cards is a soothing sort of arrangement. I was excited to return to this forest realm where I was guaranteed to laugh a few times… And probably lose horribly. Ha ha!
Game Overview
Game Name: Songbirds
Publication Year: 2016
Designer: ゆお (Yuo)
Artists: ことり寧子 (Kotori Neiko) & Claire Donaldson
Publisher: Daily Magic Games
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
A grid slowly fills up with birds of different species as they compete to sing the loudest! Number values determine the winners of the highly coveted berries for the rows and columns. But with clever choices, some birds drown out each other, allowing a quieter chirp to be the surprise victor!
First Play
December 11, 2018
Complexity
2
Latest Play
September 11, 2025
Expansions
1
Setup Time
Almost None
Lifetime Plays
52
Play Time
10 Minutes
High Score
68
Game Area
20" x 28"
Low Score
-46
Delightful Artwork
The table presence of this one is adorable, even if it’s a little large for my tastes. It’s still not an issue, but square tiles might have made a little more sense for the full space.
I always play with the promo cards, not only for their abilities, but because just having them in the mix makes the deck a lot less predictable! Not every card will show up.
Placing cards is important to control which species wins the berries, yet there’s a crucial point of choosing which one.
Gameplay moves quickly and I found myself smiling at the cheerful birds. There’s my favorite near the bottom right!
Perfectly Paired
Oh, so adorable! I took a break from bringing out my Calico Critters for a little bit, for no other reason than it felt like I wanted to… Or I may have been too lazy to grab any. Ha!
These little snowbirds seemed made for this game, and they quietly alighted on the scoring cards as soon as the berries started to collect. I could sense hunger in this group!
That’s a clear sign that coziness has settled in at my solo game table. Calico Critters rarely appear for anything else.
With these little ones cheering on the different birds in the forest, I focused and tried to avoid any embarrassing scores!
An Owl’s Perch
Seeing the owl or shrike appear in a card draw is always excellent! I enjoy thinking about how to use their abilities, and the owl can be one of the most strategic decisions.
This effectively replaces an existing card in the forest, which is then immediately placed somewhere else.
I’ve used the owl to win extra berries, or cancel out multiple bird species to set myself up to do even better! It doesn’t work out all the time, yet when it does, it’s a great feeling.
One might wonder why more promo cards aren’t available, but I think this is the perfect balance that sticks to the core.
More Food! More Food!
Uh-oh! I had a reenactment of one of the cards on my hand before long. A mother bird fed a worm to a very well-fed baby, and this started a flying stampede of snowbirds!
Even with so many berries piled up for them to enjoy, it just wasn’t enough. Fancy attire wasn’t enough to stop these hungry youngsters from pestering their mother.
Pretty sure I sensed a look of desperation in her eyes as she pleaded for assistance. Ha ha! Never fear: I shooed them off!
For the rest of my plays, I heeded her advice to always pick the red birds… Which worked out almost every time. Ha!
Where Did All the Calico Critters Go?
I’ve been pretty lazy about bringing my Calico Critters to my table for fun photos for the last few months, and I’m so glad to have them back! Truth be told, I’ve had a few lying around in their unopened packages for way too long… These snowbirds are apparently sold out and unavailable in most places. With this year being the 40th anniversary, I expected a lot!
However, it’s been an odd time of scarcity. I’m a little sad that I may have missed out on some of the newer families, like seals and sea otters whose availability looks to be very spotty. No matter! I’m on a roll with picking out some cute animal friends who will be visiting many solo games in the near future. Keep an eye out for them all… And maybe even a village!
Session Overview
Play Number: 47-52
Expansion: Songbirds: Promo Cards
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Outcome: 61, 34, 41, 19, 59, -20 (3 Wins & 3 Losses)
Who wouldn’t want to trust a Calico Critter? It was going swimmingly until the very end, when I landed myself one of those dreaded negative scores. At least I did well overall and had a chance to enjoy all of these birds again! There’s something very enjoyable about this artwork and I had a great time playing again. Not sure how reliable these snowbirds are, yet they have the perfect matching game!
%
50 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
8
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
10
Originality
Design & Theme
5
Quality
Components & Rules
10
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
9
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
5
+ Pros (Positives)
- The numbers and suits are easy to tell apart on the cards, making calculations relatively easy to complete each turn.
- All of the artwork is unique and each bird feels like it has its own fun personality with the adorable illustrations.
- There is enough variety to make each play a little bit different, particularly when using the promo cards.
- Berry tokens make for interesting choices related to how to earn or simply remove some from final scoring.
- Choosing a bird species is rarely easy, as the timing of playing this card is crucial to scoring well and winning.
- Gameplay is very quick, and even the terrible plays with negative scores are easy enough to clean up and play again.
– Cons (Negatives)
- Many decisions come down to the luck of the cards, which are hard to predict and not all of them come out in play.
- Although the play area isn’t too large, a more square design likely would have saved space and felt more compact.
- Negative scores pop up fairly often, even with lots of experience and good planning, thanks to the randomness.
- Constantly doing small sums for the rows and columns isn’t necessarily a fun or enjoyable experience for everyone.
Victory Conditions
Score 40+ Points
- Overall Goal Progress 88%
Goals and Milestones
Score at least 30 points.
Score at least 40 points.
Score at least 50 points.
Score at least 60 points.
Win at least 1 game with the owl card in play.
Win at least 1 game with the shrike card in play.
Score at least 70 points.
Continue the Conversation
What is your favorite part about Songbirds? Is there a particular card you always enjoy seeing in the grid? This one is a different sort of puzzle that may seem chaotic and loud on the surface, but often settles into an enjoyable little solo game each time. Just lovely! I’m also thrilled to have my Calico Critters joining in on this cozy game season with me for awhile!
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