Gahanna teen wins national honor from American Birding Association

Yahoo

08-06-2025

GAHANNA, Ohio (WCMH) — A central Ohio teenager has received the nation's top honor for his outstanding efforts in the world of birding.
Killian Sullivan, a 13-year-old from Gahanna, earned the prestigious American Birding Association's 2025 Young Birder of the Year award. According to the ABA's website, Sullivan won the 10- to 13-year-old age category for his work in the Young Birder of the Year Mentoring Program. He received gold in the modules of conservation and community leadership and writing and a silver in illustration.
Sullivan credits spotting a large black and blue songbird called a Steller's Jay at Lake Tahoe with sparking his passion for birding. He also praises his parents, Brandon and Heidi Sullivan and mentors James Muller and Ben Warner, for helping him develop his initial interest into becoming a young leader in the field.
'From the moment I saw that Steller's Jay in California, I have had incredible support,' said Sullivan. 'Because of [my parents' and mentors'] guidance and inspiration, I have been able to learn and enjoy this amazing passion. Often, I wonder if that single bird would have sparked 700 more without their lessons and encouragement.'
The teen's love of travel, adventure and rock climbing has helped him thrive in the ornithology community. He has published articles in magazines, given talks at birding festivals and has been a guide for the Biggest Week in American Birding. In Columbus, he teaches a series of birding workshops for Grange Insurance Audubon Center.
'I entered ABA's Young Birder of the Year Program because I wanted to give back to the birding community,' said Sullivan. 'As a result, I wanted to create a series of resources to make birding more accessible to those just finding this beautiful adventure.'
Out of the hundreds of birds he has observed in the 49 states and six Canadian provinces he has visited, Sullivan's favorite bird, the Carolina Wren, can be found in his own Ohio backyard. Other key places he likes to search for new species include southeast Arizona, New Jersey's Cape May and any pelagic, or birding by boat.
Sullivan's notable skills include the ability to recognize nearly a thousand species of birds by their field marks and hundreds by their calls and songs. He has currently seen 678 species and is working on becoming the youngest person to see 700 birds in the ABA region, which includes the U.S. and Canada.
Birding has inspired him to conduct research, restore habitats, create digital art and learn photography. Recently, Sullivan was filmed by MacGillivray Freeman Films for an IMAX movie that traces nature through the seasons in Ohio.
Sullivan's work can be found at buckeyebirding.com.
The American Birding Association's Young Birder of the Year Mentoring Program was created to guide and encourage birders between the ages of 10 and 18. Central to the program is providing expert advice that helps develop the skills and talents of young birders. The program, which began in 1998, has a track record of advancing the careers of up-and-coming leaders in the birding and ornithological communities.
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