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The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a charitable organisation registered in
England and Wales England and Wales () is one of the three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. The substantive law of the jurisdiction is Eng ...
and in
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
. It was founded in 1889. It works to promote conservation and protection of
bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...
s and the wider environment through public awareness campaigns,
petition A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer called supplication. In the colloquial sense, a petition is a document addressed to some offi ...
s and through the operation of
nature reserves A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...
throughout the United Kingdom. In 2020/21 the RSPB had an income of £117 million, 2,000 employees, 12,000 volunteers and 1.1 million members (including 195,000 youth members), making it one of the world's largest wildlife conservation organisations. The RSPB has many local groups and maintains 222 nature reserves. As founders, chief officers and presidents, women have been at the helm of the RSPB for over 85 years.


History

The origins of the RSPB lie with two groups of women, both formed in 1889: * The Plumage League was founded by
Emily Williamson Emily Williamson (''née'' Bateson; 17 April 1855 – 12 January 1936), was an English philanthropist. She was co-founder of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) with Eliza Phillips in 1891. The society started as the Plumage ...
at her house in Didsbury, Manchester, as a protest group campaigning against the use of
great crested grebe The great crested grebe (''Podiceps cristatus'') is a member of the grebe family of water birds noted for its elaborate mating display. Taxonomy The great crested grebe was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in t ...
and
kittiwake The kittiwakes (genus ''Rissa'') are two closely related seabird species in the gull family Laridae, the black-legged kittiwake (''Rissa tridactyla'') and the red-legged kittiwake (''Rissa brevirostris''). The epithets "black-legged" and "red-l ...
skins and feathers in
fur clothing Fur clothing is clothing made from the preserved skins of mammals. Fur is one of the oldest forms of clothing, and is thought to have been widely used by people for at least 120,000 years. The term 'fur' is often used to refer to a specific i ...
. The house is now in
Fletcher Moss Botanical Garden Fletcher Moss Botanical Garden is in Didsbury, Manchester, England, between the River Mersey and Stenner Woods. The park is named after Alderman Fletcher Moss, who donated the park to the city of Manchester in 1915. It is part botanical garde ...
. * The Fin, Fur and Feather Folk was founded in Croydon by
Eliza Phillips Eliza Phillips (''née'' Barron; 1823 – 18 August 1916) was an English animal welfare activist and co-founder of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. She was the RSPB's vice president and publications editor. Biography Early life an ...
,
Etta Lemon Margaretta "Etta" Louisa Lemon ( Smith; 22 November 1860 – 8 July 1953) was an English bird conservationist and a founding member of what is now the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). She was born into an evangelical Chr ...
, Catherine Hall,
Hannah Poland Hannah Poland (later Lemel; 18 May 1873 - 16 February 1942) was an English bird conservationist, founding Secretary and first Honorary Member of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (SPB). Biography The first SPB annual report in 1891 ...
and others. The groups gained in popularity and amalgamated in 1891 to form the Society for the Protection of Birds in London. The Society gained its Royal Charter in 1904. The original members of the SPB were all women who campaigned against the fashion of the time for women to wear exotic feathers in hats, and the consequent encouragement of "
plume hunting Plume hunting is the hunting of wild birds to harvest their feathers, especially the more decorative plumes which were sold for use as ornamentation, such as aigrettes in millinery. The movement against the plume trade in the United Kingdom w ...
". To this end the Society had two simple rules: At the time of founding, the trade in plumage for use in hats was very large: in the first quarter of 1884, almost 7,000 bird-of-paradise skins were being imported to Britain, along with 400,000 birds from
West India Western India is a loosely defined region of India consisting of its western part. The Ministry of Home Affairs in its Western Zonal Council Administrative division includes the states of Goa, Gujarat, and Maharashtra along with the Unio ...
and
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, and 360,000 birds from
East India East India is a region of India consisting of the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal and also the union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The region roughly corresponds to the historical region of Magadh ...
. In 1890, the society published its first leaflet, entitled ''Destruction of Ornamental-Plumaged Birds'', aimed at saving the
egret Egrets ( ) are herons, generally long-legged wading birds, that have white or buff plumage, developing fine plumes (usually milky white) during the breeding season. Egrets are not a biologically distinct group from herons and have the same build ...
population by informing wealthy women of the environmental damage wrought by the use of feathers in fashion. A later 1897 publication, ''Bird Food in Winter'', aimed to address the use of berries as winter decoration and encouraged the use of synthetic berries to preserve the birds food source. In 1897 the SPB distributed over 16,000 letters and 50,000 leaflets and by 1898 had 20,000 members. The Society attracted support from some women of high social standing who belonged to the social classes that popularised the wearing of feathered hats, including the Duchess of Portland (who became the Society's first President) and the Ranee of Sarawak. As the organisation began to attract the support of many other influential figures, both male and female, such as the ornithologist Professor
Alfred Newton Alfred Newton FRS HFRSE (11 June 18297 June 1907) was an English zoologist and ornithologist. Newton was Professor of Comparative Anatomy at Cambridge University from 1866 to 1907. Among his numerous publications were a four-volume ''Dictionar ...
, it gained in popularity and attracted many new members. The society received a
Royal Charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but s ...
in 1904 from
Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...
, just 15 years after its founding, and was instrumental in petitioning the
Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprema ...
to introduce laws banning the use of plumage in clothing. At the time that the Society was founded in Britain, similar societies were also founded in other European countries. In 1961, the society acquired The Lodge in Sandy, Bedfordshire, as its new headquarters. The RSPB's logo depicts an
avocet The four species of avocets are a genus, ''Recurvirostra'', of waders in the same avian family as the stilts. The genus name comes from Latin , 'curved backwards' and , 'bill'. The common name is thought to derive from the Italian ( Ferrarese) ...
. The first version was designed by Robert Gillmor.


Activities

Today, the RSPB works with both the civil service and the
Government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...
to advise Government policies on conservation and
environmentalism Environmentalism or environmental rights is a broad philosophy, ideology, and social movement regarding concerns for environmental protection and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks ...
. It is one of several organisations that determine the official
conservation status The conservation status of a group of organisms (for instance, a species) indicates whether the group still exists and how likely the group is to become extinct in the near future. Many factors are taken into account when assessing conservatio ...
list for all birds found in the UK. The RSPB does not run bird hospitals nor offer animal rescue services. The RSPB entered into a partnership with UK housebuilder Barratt Developments in 2014


Reserves

The RSPB maintains over 200 reserves throughout the United Kingdom, covering a wide range of
habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
s, from
estuaries An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environmen ...
and mudflats to
forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
s and urban habitats. The reserves often have
bird hide A bird hide (blind or bird blind in North America) is a shelter, often camouflaged, that is used to observe wildlife, especially birds, at close quarters. Although hides or hunting blinds were once built chiefly as hunting aids, they are now commo ...
s provided for
birdwatchers Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, by ...
and many provide
visitor centre A visitor center or centre (see American and British English spelling differences), visitor information center, tourist information center, is a physical location that provides tourist information to visitors. Types of visitor center A visi ...
s, which include information about the wildlife that can be seen there.


Awards

The RSPB confers awards, including the President's Award, for volunteers who make a notable contribution to the work of the society.


RSPB Medal

According to the RSPB:
The RSPB Medal is the Society's most prestigious award. It is presented to an individual in recognition of wild bird protection and countryside conservation. It is usually awarded annually to one or occasionally two people.


Magazines

The RSPB has published a members-only magazine for over a century.


''Bird Notes''

''Bird Notes and News'' () was first published in April 1903. The title changed to ''Bird Notes'' in 1947. In the 1950s, there were four copies per year (one for each season, published on the 1st of each third month, March, June, September and December). Each volume covered two years, spread over three calendar years. For example, volume XXV (25), number one was dated Winter 1951, and number eight in the same volume was dated Autumn 1953. From the mid-1950s, many of the covers were by
Charles Tunnicliffe Charles Frederick Tunnicliffe, Order of the British Empire, OBE, Royal Academy of Arts, RA (1 December 1901 – 7 February 1979) was an internationally renowned naturalistic painter of British birds and other wildlife. He spent most of his work ...
. Two of the originals are on long-term loan to the Tunnicliffe gallery at
Oriel Ynys Môn Oriel Môn is a museum and arts centre located in Llangefni, Anglesey (Ynys Môn), Wales. A two-part centre, the History Gallery provides an insight into the island's culture, history and environment. The Art Gallery has a changing programme ...
, but in 1995 the RSPB sold 114 at a
Sotheby's Sotheby's () is a British-founded American multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, an ...
auction, raising £210,000, the most expensive being a picture of a partridge which sold for £6,440.RSPB ''Birds'' magazine, Vol 16 No 01, February–April 1996, page 10 From January 1964 (vol. 31, no. 1), publication increased to six per year, (issued in the odd-numbered months, January, March and so on, but dated "January–February", "March–April", etc.). Volumes again covered two years, so vol. 30, covering 1962–63, therefore included nine issues, ending with the "Winter 1963–64" edition instead of eight. The final edition, vol. 31 no. 12, was published in late 1965.


=Editors

= * Miss M. G. Davies, BA, MBOU (for many years, until vol. 30 no. 9) * John Clegg (from vol. 31 No. 1 – vol. 31 no. 3) * Jeremy Boswell (from vol. 31 no. 4 – vol. 31 no. 12)


''Birds''

''Bird Notes successor ''Birds'' () replaced it immediately, with volume 1, number 1 being the January–February 1966 edition. Issues were published quarterly, numbered so that a new volume started every other year. The Autumn 2013 edition, dated August–October 2013, being vol. 25 no. 7, was the last.


''Nature's Home''

In Winter 2013 ''Birds'' was replaced by a new magazine, ''Nature's Home''. The editor was Mark Ward. The magazine had an ABC-certified circulation of 600,885.


''The RSPB Magazine''

With the Summer/Autumn 2022 issue, the magazine has been re-titled.


Junior divisions

The RSPB has two separate groups for children and teenagers: Wildlife Explorers (founded in 1943 as the Junior Bird Recorders' Club; from 1965 to 2000 the Young Ornithologists' Club or YOC) and RSPB Phoenix. Wildlife Explorers is targeted at children aged between 8 and 12, although it also has some younger members, and has two different magazines: ''Wild Times'' for 0-7-year-olds, and ''Wild Explorer'' for 8-12-year-olds. RSPB Phoenix is aimed at teenagers, and produces ''Wingbeat'' magazine, which is primarily written by young people for young people. The RSPB is a member of The
National Council for Voluntary Youth Services The National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS) was a membership network of over 200 voluntary and community organisations, as well as local and regional networks, that work with and for young people across England. The organisation cl ...
.


Big Garden Birdwatch

RSPB organises bird record data collection in annual collective birdwatching days in Britain. RSPB claims this is the "world's biggest wildlife survey" and helps that society to gain a better knowledge on bird population trends in Britain.''Birds'', Spring 2013, vol. 25, nº5. February – April 2013, page 18. That activity was launched in 1979 as an activity for children, although from 2001 it is a survey open to adults too. In 2011, over 600,000 people took part, only 37% of whom were RSPB members. The usual date for this birdwatching collective activity is the last weekend in January. From the start of this annual survey records for sparrows show a decline of 60%, while
starling Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. The Sturnidae are named for the genus '' Sturnus'', which in turn comes from the Latin word for starling, ''sturnus''. Many Asian species, particularly the larger ones, ...
populations declined by about 80% from 1979 to 2012. In 2022, nearly 700,000 people took part in the Big Garden Birdwatch, counting more than 11 billion birds.


BirdTrack

BirdTrack is an online citizen science website, operated by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) on behalf of a partnership of the BTO, the RSPB, BirdWatch Ireland, the Scottish Ornithologists' Club and the Welsh Ornithological Society ( cy, Cymdeithas Adaryddol Cymru).


Finances

The RSPB is funded primarily by its members; in 2006, over 50% of the society's £88 million income came from subscriptions,
donation A donation is a gift for charity, humanitarian aid, or to benefit a cause. A donation may take various forms, including money, alms, services, or goods such as clothing, toys, food, or vehicles. A donation may satisfy medical needs such as ...
s and
legacies In law, a legacy is something held and transferred to someone as their inheritance, as by will and testament. Personal effects, family property, marriage property or collective property gained by will of real property. Legacy or legacies may refer ...
, worth a total of £53.669 million. As a registered charity, the organisation is entitled to gift aid worth an extra £0.28 on every £1.00 donated by
income tax An income tax is a tax imposed on individuals or entities (taxpayers) in respect of the income or profits earned by them (commonly called taxable income). Income tax generally is computed as the product of a tax rate times the taxable income. Tax ...
payers. The bulk of the income (£63.757 million in 2006) is spent on conservation projects, maintenance of the reserves and on education projects, with the rest going on fundraising efforts and reducing the pension deficit, worth £19.8 million in 2006.


Advertising

It was reported in an article in '' The Daily Mail'' on 2 November 2014 that claims that the charity "was spending 90 per cent of its income on conservation" by the UK Advertising Standards Authority were incorrect. The article claimed that the true figure was closer to 26%. The Charity Commission investigated the claims, and contacted the RSPB to get it to clarify its web statement. The RSPB complied, with the clarification that 90% of its net income (after expenses, not gross income as received) was spent on conservation, and that conservation activities were diverse, not limited to spending on its own nature reserves. This was accepted by the Charity Commission.


Presidents

* Winifred Cavendish-Bentinck, Duchess of Portland 1891–1954 * Cyril Hurcomb *Colonel Sir Tufton Beamish *
Derek Barber, Baron Barber of Tewkesbury Derek Coates Barber, Baron Barber of Tewkesbury (17 June 1918 – 21 November 2017) was a British member of the House of Lords. He also served as a senior civil servant and agricultural expert. Barber was educated at the Royal Agricultural Colle ...
* Robert Dougall *
Max Nicholson Edward Max Nicholson (12 July 1904 – 26 April 2003) was a pioneering environmentalist, ornithologist and internationalist, and a founder of the World Wildlife Fund. Early life Max Nicholson, as he was known to all, was born in Kilternan, Ir ...
1980–1985 * Magnus Magnusson 1985–1990 *Sir
Derek Barber Derek Coates Barber, Baron Barber of Tewkesbury (17 June 1918 – 21 November 2017) was a British member of the House of Lords. He also served as a senior civil servant and agricultural expert. Barber was educated at the Royal Agricultural Colleg ...
1990–1991RSPB ''Birds'' magazine, Vol 13 No 7, Autumn 1991 *
Ian Prestt Ian or Iain is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin, derived from the Hebrew given name (Yohanan, ') and corresponding to the English name John. The spelling Ian is an Anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic forename ''Iain''. It is a popular name in Sc ...
1991–1994 *
Julian Pettifer Julian Pettifer OBE (born 21 July 1935) is an English television journalist. He was president of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and is vice president of the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts and the RSPB. He was voted BAFTA 'Repor ...
1994–? * Jonathan Dimbleby 2001–? *
Julian Pettifer Julian Pettifer OBE (born 21 July 1935) is an English television journalist. He was president of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and is vice president of the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts and the RSPB. He was voted BAFTA 'Repor ...
2004–2009 *
Kate Humble Katherine Mary Humble (born 12 December 1968) is an English television presenter and narrator, mainly working for the BBC, specialising in wildlife and science programmes. Humble served as President of the Royal Society for the Protection of Bi ...
2009–2013 * Miranda Krestovnikoff 2013–2022 * Dr Amir Khan GP 2022-(incumbent)


Chief officers

Over time, the organisation's chief officers have been given different titles. * William Henry Hudson – Chairman of Committee 1894 * Sir Montagu Sharpe, KBE DL – Chairman of Committee 1895–1942 * Phillip Brown * Peter Conder OBE – Secretary 1963. Director 1964–1975 * Ian Prestt
CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
– Director General 1975–1991 * Barbara Young – CEO 1991–1998 * Sir Graham Wynne – CEO 1998–2010 * Mike Clarke – Chief Executive 2010–2019 * Beccy Speight - Chief Executive 2019-


Associate organisations

The RSPB is a member of
Wildlife and Countryside Link Wildlife and Countryside Link (Link) brings together voluntary organisations in the UK to protect and enhance wildlife, landscape and the marine environment and to further the quiet enjoyment and appreciation of the countryside. Link currently ...
. The RSPB is the UK Partner of BirdLife International and manages the
South Atlantic Invasive Species Project The South Atlantic Invasive Species Project is a three-year project (December 2006 - December 2009) funded under the European Union EDF 9. The purpose of the project is to increase the capacity of the UK's South Atlantic Overseas Territories to de ...
on behalf of the partner governments.


See also

*
List of Birdlife International national partner organisations The following is a list of the BirdLife International national partner organisations for each country: A *Afghanistan – None *Albania – None *Algeria – None *Andorra – None *Angola – None *Antarctica – None *Antigua and Barbuda – No ...
*
Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is a charity operating in England and Wales that promotes animal welfare. The RSPCA is funded primarily by voluntary donations. Founded in 1824, it is the oldest and largest a ...
* National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty *
Wildlife law in England and Wales Wildlife law in England and Wales is the law relating to the protection of wildlife in England and Wales. Much of existing UK law dates from pre-Victorian times. Wildlife was viewed as a resource to be used; phrases such as "game" or "sporting righ ...
* :Royal Society for the Protection of Birds reserves


Notes


Bibliography

* * *


External links


RSPB.org.uk
— official website
RSPB images
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Royal Society For The Protection Of Birds Organizations established in 1889 Environmental organisations based in England Ornithological organisations in the United Kingdom Animal charities based in the United Kingdom 1889 establishments in the United Kingdom 1889 establishments in England Charities based in Bedfordshire Bird conservation organizations British landowners