Non-Profit Organization

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a world leader in the study, appreciation, and conservation of birds. Our hallmarks are scientific excellence and technological innovation to advance the understanding of nature and to engage people of all ages in learning about birds and protecting the planet. Founded in 1915, the Cornell Lab is a nonprofit organization supported by 100,000 friends and members. Our vibrant community includes 400,000 citizen-science participants from all walks of life and 14 million bird enthusiasts of all ages who connect with us online at All About Birds. As a proud unit of Cornell University we have seven faculty on staff and access to world-class resources.  As a nonprofit environmental organization, however, we depend on members, donors, research, and our other programs for 99 percent of our operating budget. Your support will result in direct impacts and improvements for conservation science.

Beginnings The RSPB was formed to counter the barbarous trade in plumes for women's hats, a fashion responsible for the destruction of many thousands of egrets, birds of paradise and other species whose plumes had become fashionable in the late Victorian era. The organisation started life as The Plumage League, founded by Emily Williamson at her home in Manchester in 1889. The group quickly gained popularity and in 1891, Williamson joined forces with Eliza Phillips – head of the Fur and Feather League in Croydon – to form the Society for the Protection of Birds. In its earliest days, the society consisted entirely of women and membership cost twopence. The rules of the society were: That members shall discourage the wanton destruction of birds and interest themselves generally in their protection  That lady-members shall refrain from wearing the feathers of any bird not killed for purposes of food, the ostrich only excepted. Some of the society's staunchest supporters were the very kind of people who might have been expected to wear the plumes – dignitaries such as the Duchess of Portland, who became the society's first president, and the Ranee of Sarawak. A number of influential figures, including the leading ornithologist of the day, Professor Alfred Newton lent their support to the cause, which gained widespread publicity and popularity, leading to a rapid growth in the society's membership and a widening of its aims. Indeed the fledgling society was so successful that it was granted its Royal Charter in 1904, just 15 years after being founded. Then in 1921, the Importation of Plumage (Prohibition) Act was passed, forbidding plumage from being imported to Britain. Read more at https://ww2.rspb.org.uk/about-the-rspb/about-us/our-history/#qqp9BRT7IJfwAK0L.99

WHO ARE WE The ABA is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that provides leadership to birders by increasing their knowledge, skills, and enjoyment of birding. We are the only organization in North America that specifically caters to recreational birders. We also contribute to bird and bird habitat conservation through our varied programs.   MISSION STATEMENT The American Birding Association inspires all people to enjoy and protect wild birds. The American Birding Association represents the North American birding community and supports birders through publications, conferences, workshops, tours, partnerships, and networks. The ABA's education programs promote birding skills, ornithological knowledge, and the development of a conservation ethic. The ABA encourages birders to apply their skills to help conserve birds and their habitats, and we represent the interests of birders in planning and legislative arenas. We welcome all birders as members.   CODE OF ETHICS Concern for the welfare of birds lies at the core of ABA and touches everything we do. ABA has developed a code of ethics for birding, provided here in multiple formats for you to download. The ABA encourages all birders to print and follow these guidelines to preserve the welfare of wild birds and the integrity of birding.   ABA EVENTS Topping the list of most-memorable experiences for many birders are group trips, where friends are birding with friends, the newly initiated can meet others who share their passion, and top-notch guides are helping everyone locate birds. Each year, ABA offers conferences, conventions, and workshops at various hotspots throughout the Americas. If you're looking to add new birds to your list, become a better birder, or just want to meet up with good friends, you won't want to miss these events. ABA works to keep the cost of these events low, while providing world-class instructors and guides at fabulous locations.    

The National Audubon Society protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow, throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation. Audubon’s state programs, nature centers, chapters, and partners have an unparalleled wingspan that reaches millions of people each year to inform, inspire, and unite diverse communities in conservation action. Since 1905, Audubon’s vision has been a world in which people and wildlife thrive. Audubon is a nonprofit conservation organization.   Our successes include: Protection of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and other fragile habitats The ongoing recovery of the imperiled California Condor and Brown Pelican.  Adoption of innovative policies that balance habitat protection with green energy development on millions of acres Continuing restoration of the Everglades and Long Island Sound   Here is how we’re making a difference. Our nearly 500 local chapters nationwide engage members in grassroots conservation action. Audubon environmental policy, education, and scienceexperts guide lawmakers, agencies, and our grassroots in shaping effective conservation plans, actions, and the policies to support them. More than 2,500 Audubon-designated Important Bird Areas identify, prioritize, and protect vital bird habitat from coast to coast—in partnership with BirdLife International, our IBA conservation efforts support species and their habitats across the Western Hemisphere. "Citizen scientists" collect vital data through Audubon's annual Christmas Bird Count, the Coastal Bird Survey, and other initiatives, generating groundbreaking analyses and guiding scientists and policy makers in addressing the needs of birds and other wildlife. Special ecosystem-wide conservation initiatives focus on protection and restoration of the nation's most special places from Alaska's Tongass to Sagebrush country and the Louisiana Coast. Audubon centers and sanctuaries are hubs of conservation exploration, research, and action, allowing millions to discover and defend the natural world. Educational programs and materials combine with Audubon Magazine, the nation's most acclaimed conservation magazine, to introduce schoolchildren, families, and nature-lovers of all ages to the wonders of nature and the power of conservation at home and around the world.

Who are we? BirdLife International is the world’s largest nature conservation partnership. Together we are 120 BirdLife Partners worldwide – one per country or territory – and growing.  We are driven by our belief that local people, working for nature in their own places but connected nationally and internationally through our global Partnership, are the key to sustaining all life on this planet. This unique local-to-global approach delivers high impact and long-term conservation for the benefit of nature and people. BirdLife is widely recognised as the world leader in bird conservation. Rigorous science informed by practical feedback from projects on the ground in important sites and habitats enables us to implement successful conservation programmes for birds and all nature. Our actions are providing both practical and sustainable solutions significantly benefiting nature and people.  “In our six intriguing years with BirdLife, we have been both astonished and inspired by what can be accomplished by a dedicated group with the passion, outreach, and professionalism of the BirdLife Partnerships. It is an amazing organisation.” Margaret Atwood & Graeme Gibson, Joint Honorary Presidents of the BirdLife Rare Bird Club   How do we work? Each BirdLife Partner is an independent environmental not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation or NGO. Most Partners are best known outside of the Partnership by their organisation’s name. This allows each Partner to maintain its individual national identity within the global Partnership. BirdLife Partners work together in a collaborative, coordinated fashion across national boundaries to build a global Partnership of national conservation organisations. The BirdLife partnership has 6 Regional BirdLife Coordination Offices throughout the world and a Global Office in Cambridge, UK – together known as “The BirdLife International Secretariat”. The Secretariat co-ordinate and facilitate the BirdLife International strategies, programmes and policies.   BirdLife in numbers As the world’s largest nature conservation partnership BirdLife Interntional has more than 10 million members and supporters. This comprises 2.72 million members, and 7.2 million people who supported BirdLife Partners in 2015 without being members. BirdLife Partner Environmental NGOs worked with over 4,000 local groups, including action at more than 1,000 Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas; and our work involved 1.9 million young people (under 18). The BirdLife Partnership employs nearly 8,000 staff supported by 5,000 volunteers. BirdLife partnership has a combined budget of US$ 636 million as of end of 2014.