Of the 368 bird species reported for Cuba about 42% breed on the island, and 70% are migratory (c.114 species are regular winter residents). Of the breeding species, 135 are resident (including eight introduced birds) and 14 arrive from South America to breed on the island in the summer. The island is home to six endemic genera (namely Cyanolimnus, Starnoenas, Xiphidiopicus, Ferminia, Teretistris and Torreornis), 28 endemic birds (including the world’s smallest bird, the Bee Hummingbird Mellisuga helenae) and 60 endemic subspecies. On se retrouve donc avec une belle profondeur de jeu et le placement doit être réfléchi et anticipé. Il faudra surveiller tout au long de la partie l’avancée des collections des autres joueurs et le placement des oiseaux évoluera en conséquence. Mais cela n’empêchera pas d’avoir des tours de jeux rapides et dynamiques. So while CuBirds is really uncomplicated mechanically, strategically it gives players a bit to think about. At the same time, the decisions are not complicated enough to invoke analysis paralysis and hinder the flow of the game. For a short, light game, that is a perfect combination. Add to that quirky cubic artwork, and CuBirds makes a great little warm-up game ahead of a heavier longer one later in the night.

If the draw pile gets empty, shuffle all the cards from the discard pile to form a new draw pile. The new dealer is the first to play in this round. The dealer then shuffles the 110 Bird cards and lays out 4 rows with three cards faceup at the center of the table a.For me the game shines at the two player count. When you play at three, four or five the game becomes much more random with the table state changing significantly between your turns. At two players you have much more control over the birds and can play against your opponent as much as the table. I don’t mind playing it at any player count but would always prefer to play at two. Final Thoughts Each row must be composed of 3 different Birds. If the same Bird is present multiple times on a given row, discard the extra Birds and place new cards until each row contains 3 Birds from different species. For example, if a player added the two Parrots to the left of this row, they would take the Owl and Flamingo:

A round ends when one of the players has no cards left in their hand. The remaining cards that players have in their hand go to the discard pile. The cards laid in rows at the center of the table remain in place. The player who ended the round becomes the new dealer. As soon as a player has no cards left in their hand, the current round ends. Other players have to place any cards that they have left in their hand into the discard pile. The cards laid in rows at the center of the table remain in place. After taking the surrounded cards, the remaining birds are moved together and new cards are added (placed on the left or the right) from the draw pile to this row until there are two different species in it. The game is won by the first player that manages to have gathered in their collection in front of them: The player chooses a Bird from their hand and must play all the Birds of this species that they have in their hand.A game plays in several successive rounds. At the beginning of each round, each player starts with 8 cards in their hand. A round continues until one of the players has no cards left in their hand. They lay these birds, each one next to the other on the left or on the right side of one of the 4 rows at the center of the table. They can choose their cards independently of the species of the Birds already present in the rows. If it is impossible to deal 8 cards to each player (even with the discard pile), the game ends immediately. In this case, the player with the most bird cards in their collection wins the game. According to BirdLife International, which has designated 28 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in Cuba, “Over 370 bird species have been recorded in Cuba, including 27 which are endemic to the island and 29 considered globally threatened. Due to its large land area and geographical position within the Caribbean, Cuba represents one of the most important countries for Neotropical migratory birds – both birds passing through on their way south (75 species) and those spending the winter on the island (86 species).“

All of the remaining cards are shuffled to form a facedown draw pile b. This draw pile is placed near to the center of the table, accessible to all players. The dealer gives 8 facedown Bird cards from the draw pile to each player: this is their starting hand. You take the first turn of the game. Take your turn as usual. In her turn, RobinBird draws for each row a card from the draw pile and Be the first player to gather seven different species, or two species with at least three identical birds in each, to end the game! The player who just ended the round becomes the new dealer and gives 8 cards from the draw pile to each player. If RobinBird would get more cards by adding the drawn card on the left side in the row, she prefers that.

On their turn, a player must lay one or more birds from their hand. All the birds of the chosen species that player has in their hand must be played. The player lays these birds (next to each other) on the left or the right side of one of the 4 rows at the center of the table. When a player places a bird in a row that already has one or more birds of that species, the player must take all the cards between these birds into their hand. Count the number of birds in your hand -- this tells you how many plays until you can trigger a new hand. The round ends when a player has no cards in their hand. At this point all other players have to discard their hand of cards and new cards are dealt. Knowing when to play cards to the table and which row, together with choosing the right time to end the round is where the tension and excitement comes from in CuBirds. The first player to seven species of birds in their collection (or two species with three cards each) wins the game. Most games I have played have come right down to the wire as players can see what species everyone needs to win the game and they deliberately stop placing those birds, making for an exciting conclusion to the game. Who’s A Pretty Bird