History & purpose

The Ornithological Council was incorporated in 1992 in Washington, D.C., as a not-for-profit IRS 501(c)(3) organization. The Council is supported by, and serves the interests of, its member organizations. The founding societies were: American Ornithologists’ Union (now known as the American Ornithological Society), the Association of Field Ornithologists, the Cooper Ornithological Society (now known as the American Ornithological Society), the Colonial Waterbirds Society (now knows as the Waterbird Society), the Pacific Seabird Group, the Raptor Research Foundation, and the Wilson Ornithological Society. An additional five societies joined later: BirdsCaribbean (formerly the Society for the Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds), Neotropical Ornithological Society, CIPAMEX, Society of Canadian Ornithologists, and the North American Crane Working Group.

The current OC member societies are:

• Association of Field Ornithologists
• Birds Caribbean
• CIPAMEX: Sociedad para el Estudio y Conservación de las Aves en México
• Neotropical Ornithological Society
• North American Crane Working Group
• Pacific Seabird Group
• Raptor Research Foundation
• Waterbird Society
• Wilson Ornithological Society

The Ornithological Council and its members:

• Link the scientific community with public and private decision-makers
• Provide timely information about birds to help ensure scientifically-based decisions, policies, and management actions
• Inform ornithologists of proposals and actions that affect birds or the study of birds
• Speak for scientific ornithology on public issues