The British Ornithologists' Union (BOU) aims to encourage the study 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 ("
ornithology
Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...
") and around the world, in order to understand their
biology
Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...
and to aid their
conservation
Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws.
Conservation may also refer to:
Environment and natural resources
* Nature conservation, the protection and managem ...
. The BOU was founded in 1858 by 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 ...
,
Henry Baker Tristram
Henry Baker Tristram FRS (11 May 1822 – 8 March 1906) was an English clergyman, Bible scholar, traveller and ornithologist. As a parson-naturalist he was an early supporter of Darwinism, attempting to reconcile evolution and creation.
Biogra ...
and other scientists. Its quarterly journal, ''
Ibis
The ibises () (collective plural ibis; classical plurals ibides and ibes) are a group of long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae, that inhabit wetlands, forests and plains. "Ibis" derives from the Latin and Ancient Greek word ...
'', has been published continuously since 1859.
The Records Committee (BOURC) is a committee of the BOU established to maintain the British List, the official list of birds recorded in Great Britain.
BOU is headquartered in Peterborough and is a registered charity in England & Wales and Scotland.
Objectives and activities
* Publishes ''
Ibis
The ibises () (collective plural ibis; classical plurals ibides and ibes) are a group of long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae, that inhabit wetlands, forests and plains. "Ibis" derives from the Latin and Ancient Greek word ...
'' as a leading international journal of ornithological science.
* Organises a programme of meetings and conferences.
* Awards grants and bursaries for ornithological research.
* Encourages liaison between those actively engaged in ornithological research.
* Provides a representative body of the scientific community able to provide ornithological information and advice to government and other policy makers.
* Maintains and publishes the official list of birds recorded in Britain – The British List.
Records Committee
The British Ornithologists' Union Records Committee (BOURC) is the recognised national bird records committee for
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
. It maintains a list of birds of Britain. Its findings are published in ''
Ibis
The ibises () (collective plural ibis; classical plurals ibides and ibes) are a group of long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae, that inhabit wetlands, forests and plains. "Ibis" derives from the Latin and Ancient Greek word ...
'', the house journal of its parent body the British Ornithologists' Union (BOU). From time to time, BOURC re-reviews records which it has previously accepted, to ensure they are acceptable in the light of improved knowledge of the species in question.
The Committee does not assess records of birds from Ireland; that task is carried out by the
Irish Rare Birds Committee
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
, which publishes its decisions in '' Irish Birds''. For many years, records of IRBC-assessed rarities were included in the BOURC's reports, but this ceased in 2002, at the request of IRBC.
BOURC is widely recognised as maintaining the most authoritative list of birds of Britain.
BOURC has a chairman, a secretary and a number of voting members. It previously had a taxonomic subcommittee, set up to advise on taxonomic matters, but the disbanding of this subcommittee was announced on 6 November 2015; the BOU now contemplates relying entirely on one of the available global avian taxonomies with a view to adopting a single system for all its activities.
Committee and taxonomic reports
The Committee publishes an annual report in ''
Ibis
The ibises () (collective plural ibis; classical plurals ibides and ibes) are a group of long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae, that inhabit wetlands, forests and plains. "Ibis" derives from the Latin and Ancient Greek word ...
'' (the BOU's international journal of avian science). All reports can be accessed via th British List pages of the BOU website
Previously, the Committee's Taxonomic Sub-committee also published regular reports, also in ''
Ibis
The ibises () (collective plural ibis; classical plurals ibides and ibes) are a group of long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae, that inhabit wetlands, forests and plains. "Ibis" derives from the Latin and Ancient Greek word ...
British Birds Rarities Committee
The British Birds Rarities Committee (BBRC), established in 1959, is the national bird rarities committee for Britain. It assesses claimed sightings of bird species that are rarely seen in Britain, based on descriptions, photographs and video r ...
into the controversial identification of a
curlew
The curlews () are a group of nine species of birds in the genus ''Numenius'', characterised by their long, slender, downcurved bills and mottled brown plumage. The English name is imitative of the Eurasian curlew's call, but may have been in ...
seen at
Druridge Bay
Druridge Bay is a long bay on the North Sea in Northumberland, England, stretching from Amble in the north to Cresswell in the south.
Druridge Bay Country Park is situated on the bay, and part of the bay (the section near the farmstead of Dru ...
in
Northumberland
Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey.
It is bordered by land ...
in 1998, which came to the conclusion that it was, as had been believed by many observers, a first-summer
slender-billed curlew
The slender-billed curlew (''Numenius tenuirostris'') is a bird in the wader family Scolopacidae. Isotope analysis suggests the majority of the former population bred in the Kazakh Steppe despite a record from the Siberian swamps, and was mig ...
, this identification was accepted by BOURC, leading to the addition of this species to the British List.Steele, Jimmy and Didier Vangeluwe (2002) From the Rarities Committee's files: the Slender-billed Curlew at Druridge Bay, Northumberland, in 1998 '' British Birds'' 95(6):279-299 A subsequent review of the record overturned the original decision ''
Ibis
The ibises () (collective plural ibis; classical plurals ibides and ibes) are a group of long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae, that inhabit wetlands, forests and plains. "Ibis" derives from the Latin and Ancient Greek word ...
'' 156 :236-242.
Awards and lectures
The following are awarded:
*
Godman-Salvin Medal
The Godman-Salvin Medal is a medal of the British Ornithologists' Union awarded "to an individual as a signal honour for distinguished ornithological work." It was instituted in 1919 in the memory of Frederick DuCane Godman and Osbert Salvin.
M ...
*
Union Medal
The Union Medal was instituted by the Union of South Africa in 1952. It was awarded to Permanent Force members of the South African Defence Force for eighteen years of service and good conduct.Alexander, E.G.M., Barron, G.K.B. and Bateman, A.J. ...
Frederick DuCane Godman
Frederick DuCane Godman DCL FRS FLS FGS FRGS FES FZS MRI FRHS (15 January 1834 – 19 February 1919) was an English lepidopterist, entomologist and ornithologist. He was one of the twenty founding members of the British Ornithologists' ...
William Eagle Clarke
Dr William Eagle Clarke FLS FRSE PBOU I.S.O LL.D. (16 March 1853 – 10 May 1938) was a British ornithologist.
Life
Clarke was born in Leeds where his father William Clarke was a solicitor and educated at the Grammar School and at Yorkshire ...
(1853–1938)
* 1921-1922 :
Henry John Elwes
Henry John Elwes, FRS (16 May 1846 – 26 November 1922) was a British botanist, entomologist, author, lepidopterist, collector and traveller who became renowned for collecting specimens of lilies during trips to the Himalaya and Korea. He w ...
William Lutley Sclater
William Lutley Sclater (23 September 1863 – 4 July 1944) was a British zoologist and museum director. He was the son of Philip Lutley Sclater and was named after his paternal grandfather, also William Lutley Sclater.
Life
William's mother, J ...
William Homan Thorpe
William Homan Thorpe FRS (1 April 1902 – 7 April 1986) was Professor of Animal Ethology at the University of Cambridge, and a significant British zoologist, ethologist and ornithologist.Alan Costall, ‘Thorpe, William Homan (1902–1986)’ T ...
Guy Mountfort
Guy Mountfort (4 December 1905 – 23 April 2003) was an English advertising executive, amateur ornithologist and conservationist. He is known for writing the pioneering ''A Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe'', published in 1954 ...
John Croxall
John Patrick Croxall (born 19 January 1946 in Birmingham) is a British biologist, and was Head of Conservation Biology at the British Antarctic Survey.
He is Chair of Global Seabird Programme, of BirdLife International.
Life
Croxall completed ...
* 1999-2003 :
Ian Newton
Ian Newton (born 17 January 1940) is an English ornithologist.
Education and early life
Newton was born and raised in north Derbyshire and was educated at Chesterfield Grammar School. He graduated from the University of Bristol.Christopher Perrins
* 2007-2011 : Alistair Dawson (
Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
The UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) is a centre for excellence in environmental science across water, land and air.
The organisation has a long history of investigating, monitoring and modelling environmental change, and its science ma ...
University of East Anglia
The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and 26 schools of study. The annual income of the institution f ...
University of Leeds
, mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased
, established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds
, ...
British Ornithologists' Union checklists
The British Ornithologists' Union checklists are a series of books published by the British Ornithologists' Union (BOU) and (from 2003) jointly with the British Ornithologists' Club (BOC) documenting the status of bird in various regions of the wor ...
*
British Birds Rarities Committee
The British Birds Rarities Committee (BBRC), established in 1959, is the national bird rarities committee for Britain. It assesses claimed sightings of bird species that are rarely seen in Britain, based on descriptions, photographs and video r ...