The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) is an organisation founded in 1932 for the study of birds in the British Isles. The Prince of Wales has been patron since October 2020.
Bird ringing (UK) or bird banding (US) is the attachment of a small, individually numbered metal or plastic tag to the leg or wing of a wild bird to enable individual identification. This helps in keeping track of the movements of the bird and its life history. It is common to take measurements and examine the conditions of feather moult, subcutaneous fat, age indications and sex during capture for ringing. The subsequent recapture, recovery, or observation of the bird can provide information on migration, longevity, mortality, population, territoriality, feeding behaviour, and other aspects that are studied by ornithologists. Other methods of marking birds may also be used to allow for field based identification that does not require capture.
A bird observatory is a centre for the study of bird migration and bird populations. They are usually focused on local birds, but may also include interest in far-flung areas. Most bird observatories are small operations with a limited staff, many volunteers and a not-for-profit educational status. Many bird observatories conduct bird ringing or bird banding.
The Catalan Ornithological Institute is a not-for-profit association, established in 1975 to aid the study of birds in Catalonia, with the name of Grup Català d'Anellament. The association specialises in the development and coordination of large-scale monitoring schemes requiring the contribution of many ornithologists. The association runs courses for a wide range of practical ornithological activities, including ringing.
Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka, commonly abbreviated FOGSL, is the Sri Lankan affiliate of BirdLife International. It was founded in 1976 to promote the conservation of birds and preservation of the environment. FOGSL headquarters are situated in the Department of Zoology, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Its president is Professor Nihal Dayawansa.
The Rossitten Bird Observatory was the world's first ornithological observatory. It was sited at Rossitten, East Prussia, on the Curonian Spit on the south-eastern coast of the Baltic Sea. It was established by German ornithologist Johannes Thienemann and operated until 1944. In 1945 East Prussia was divided between Poland, Russia and Lithuania, and most ethnic Germans expelled.
The Col de Bretolet is a mountain pass in the Swiss Alps in the canton of Valais, close to the border between Switzerland and the French department of Haute-Savoie. It lies above the village of Champéry at an altitude of 1923 m asl within a 567 ha nature reserve set aside for the protection and study of migratory birds. It contains a bird ringing station operated by the Sempach Bird Observatory.
BirdLife Cyprus (BLC) is an environmental non-governmental organisation dedicated to the conservation of birds and their habitats on the island of Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean, for which it is the BirdLife International partner organisation. The emblem of BLC is the Cyprus wheatear, which is an endemic species.
BirdLife Australia is a not-for-profit organisation advocating for native birds and the conservation of their habitats across Australia.
Hans Lukas "Luc" Hoffmann was a Swiss ornithologist, conservationist, and philanthropist. He co-founded the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), helped establish the Ramsar Convention for the protection of wetlands, and set up the Tour du Valat research centre in the Camargue area of France.
The Antikythera Bird Observatory, ABO in Antikythira is the only bird observatory in Greece, developing a constant effort ringing activity during bird migration periods. It is run by the Hellenic Ornithological Society HOS, the Greek partner of BirdLife International. The ABO operates both on the island and the wider maritime area around it, as well as on the two adjacent islets of Pouri and Lagouvardos.
The Mongolian Ornithological Society), was founded in 1999 in the capital city, Ulaanbaatar. It is non-profit environmental organisation dedicated to the research and conservation of birds and their habitats, and also other wildlife in Mongolia. It publishes a peer-reviewed annual scientific journal, Ornis Mongolica, and other bird-related books, guidebooks and papers on bird research works and conservation activities in Mongolia and other countries. The Society raises funds for conservation and educational activities by arranging bird watching and wildlife tours to different parts of Mongolia. The society puts great emphasis on educating young researchers and raising public awareness on conservation. Its board members consist of well-known ornithologists, biologists and ecologists from Mongolia and other countries. In collaboration with the Ornithological Laboratory at the National University of Mongolia, a total of more than 30 scientific theses by bachelors, masters, and Ph.D. students have been supervised by members of the society.
The Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology is a research institute in Vienna, Austria, dedicated to studying behavioral biology and the links between animal behaviour and conservation. Founded by the animal photographer Otto Koenig and his wife, the illustrator Lilli Koenig as “Biologische Station Wilhelminenberg” in 1945, it was later named after the Nobel laureate Konrad Lorenz and incorporated into the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna in 2011.
Alfred Schifferli was a Swiss ornithologist who established bird ringing in Switzerland at the Schweizerische Vogelwarte Sempach which was begun by his namesake father and published the first breeding bird atlas of Switzerland in 1980. He also founded the Swiss League for the Protection of Nature.
The Biodiversity Monitoring Switzerland (BDM) is a Swiss Confederation programme for the long-term monitoring of species diversity in Switzerland.
The Max Planck Institute for Ornithology was a non-university research institution under the sponsorship of the Max Planck Society. As of 1 January 2023, it merged with the Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology (MPIN) to form the new Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence (MPI-BI). The MPIO was located in Seewiesen, which belongs to the municipality of Pöcking in Upper Bavaria.
Hans Noll or Hans Noll-Tobler was a Swiss ornithologist, school teacher, and author of several books on birds and popular articles. He also made educational films on the lives of birds.
The European Union for Bird Ringing (EURING) is the co-ordinating organisation for European bird ringing schemes.
