British Birds (magazine)

Last updated
British Birds
BBsept2007cover.jpg
EditorRoger Riddington
Categories Ornithology
FrequencyMonthly
PublisherBB 2000 Ltd.
Year founded1907
Country United Kingdom
Language English
Website britishbirds.co.uk
ISSN 0007-0335

British Birds is a monthly ornithology magazine that was established in 1907. It is now published by BB 2000 Ltd, which is wholly owned by The British Birds Charitable Trust (registered charity number 1089422), [1] [2] established for the benefit of British ornithology. Its circulation in 2000 was 5,250 copies; its circulation peaked at 11,000 in the late 1980s. [3] The current editor is Roger Riddington.

Contents

British Birds is aimed at serious birdwatchers and ornithologists, rather than the more casual birdwatchers catered for by some other magazines on the subject. It publishes the findings of the British Birds Rarities Committee.

Its mascot, and later logo, the red grouse, was chosen because at the time it was thought to be an endemic British species (although it is now considered a subspecies of the willow grouse).

In 1916, British Birds magazine absorbed The Zoologist , due to the latter's shortage of subscribers. [4]

Editors

The current editor of British Birds is Roger Riddington.

Former editors:

Numbering

Before 1946, all volumes ran from June to May. Harry Witherby produced Vol.1 No.1 in June 1907 and produced 12 monthly issues per volume. It was finally decided to change with Volume 38, which ran from June 1944 to December 1945. Wartime paper restrictions meant that those issues were all pretty thin so it was possible to bind 19 into one volume.

The digital era

In 2007 a DVD-ROM disk containing the first 100 years' worth of content (volumes 1–100) was released in conjunction with BirdGuides Ltd. Subsequent volumes are available as paid-for updates.

In 2010, the magazine launched a blog, Facebook group and a Twitter account.

From October 2011, the magazine's first 100 years' of back issues are available on-line, free. More recent issues are available to subscribers to the print edition. [5]

See also

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References

  1. Ogilvie, Malcolm; Ferguson-Lees, James; Chandler, Richard (2007). "A history of British Birds". British Birds. 100: 3–15.
  2. Charity Commission register entry [ permanent dead link ]
  3. Wallace, D. Ian M. (2004). Beguiled by Birds. p. 137. ISBN   0-7136-6535-1.
  4. Bourne, W.R.P. "In memory of 'The Zoologist'". British Birds. 88: 1–4.
  5. Pitches, Adrian. "The British Birds archive goes online". British Birds. 104 (10): 556. ISSN   0007-0335.