American Ornithological Society

The American Ornithological Society (AOS) is a United States-based scientific and professional organization focused on the study, conservation, classification, and understanding of birds. It was established in October 2016 through the merger of the American Ornithologists' Union (AOU) and the Cooper Ornithological Society. The merger brought together two long-established ornithological communities and created a unified institution serving researchers, educators, conservation practitioners, students, bird collections, and people with a general interest in birds. Although its membership is centered on professional ornithologists and other researchers, AOS membership is open to anyone interested in birds. The organization offers regular and student memberships, including no-cost Student Membership Awards for eligible undergraduate and graduate students pursuing ornithological careers. It also recognizes distinguished service and scientific achievement through several levels of membership, including Elective Member, Fellow, and Honorary Fellow. These forms of recognition are intended to acknowledge exceptional research, service to the organization, and sustained contributions to ornithology. AOS operates as a scholarly association as well as a standards-setting and professional-development body. Its principal publications are the quarterly journals Ornithology, formerly titled The Auk, and Ornithological Applications, formerly titled The Condor. The society also publishes the AOS Checklist of North American Birds, a major reference for bird classification and English-language nomenclature, along with the Ornithological Monographs series. Through its journals, meetings, awards, committees, and research-support activities, AOS provides infrastructure for the exchange of ornithological knowledge. One of the society's most consequential institutional functions is its work on taxonomic classification and standardized bird names. The North American Classification Committee develops and maintains classifications and English names for birds of North and Middle America. The South American Classification Committee performs a comparable role for South America. These committees review evidence and publish decisions that influence field guides, scientific literature, conservation programs, databases, and public communication. In October 2023, AOS announced a program to replace English bird names associated with individual people, with the stated aim of removing names connected to figures whose histories include racism or other problematic conduct. The proposed process emphasized descriptive names based on habitat, appearance, behavior, or other characteristics and included public participation. The initiative generated both support and disagreement within the birding community. The society's broader work is carried out through standing committees dealing with subjects such as bylaws, history, membership, student affairs, bird collections, classification, and nomenclature. Its Committee on Bird Collections engages with museums and other institutions that hold avian specimens, including issues concerning collection inventories and permits for possessing or transporting specimens. AOS also supports early-career researchers and students through travel, presentation, research, membership, and professional awards. AOS is not a consumer-goods brand or a publicly traded company. Its principal offerings are scholarly publications, taxonomic standards, conferences, awards, membership services, professional networks, and educational resources. The organization's historical roots extend to the founding of the American Ornithologists' Union in 1883, while its current identity reflects the 2016 consolidation with the Cooper Ornithological Society. It continues to serve the ornithological community in North America and throughout the Americas while contributing to international scientific and conservation discussions.

The institutional history of the American Ornithological Society reaches back to the American Ornithologists' Union, founded in New York City in 1883. The initiative was organized by Elliott Coues, J. A. Allen, and William Brewster, who invited prominent ornithologists to a convention intended to establish an organization modeled in part on the British Ornithologists' Union. Twenty-one ornithologists attended the founding meeting on September 26, 1883, held in the library of the American Museum of Natural History. Additional individuals were elected as founding members even though they could not attend, including Smithsonian figure S. Baird and J. A. Allen. The AOU developed into one of the principal professional organizations for ornithology in the Western Hemisphere. Its activities included scholarly publishing, scientific meetings, professional recognition, membership programs, and the development of standards for bird classification and English names. Its journal The Auk began publication in January 1884 and became a long-running venue for ornithological research. The organization also supported scientific awards, student participation, bird collections, and the maintenance of authoritative taxonomic information. A second major institutional predecessor was the Cooper Ornithological Society. By 2013, the AOU and Cooper Ornithological Society had moved toward a close partnership. Their collaboration included joint meetings, centralized publishing operations, and a reorientation of their respective journals. The arrangement was intended to reduce duplicated infrastructure, improve publishing efficiency, and create a stronger professional community for ornithologists. In October 2016, the AOU ceased operating as an independent organization and merged with the Cooper Ornithological Society to form the American Ornithological Society. The new society retained and expanded the functions associated with both predecessors. It continued scholarly publishing through the successor journals Ornithology, formerly The Auk, and Ornithological Applications, formerly The Condor. It also continued publication of the AOS Checklist of North American Birds and maintained classification committees for North and Middle America and South America. AOS's work is distributed across a network of standing committees. General committees address organizational governance, history, and membership, while specialized groups work on bird collections, classification, nomenclature, and student affairs. The Committee on Bird Collections monitors the condition and documentation of avian specimen collections, maintains relationships with institutions that hold those collections, and addresses practical matters such as permits for the possession and transport of specimens. The North American Classification Committee develops standardized classifications and English names for birds in North and Middle America. The South American Classification Committee performs related work for South American birds. The society also developed programs intended to sustain the next generation of ornithologists. A decline in student membership across ornithological organizations led to the creation of a Student Affairs Committee in 2003. Beginning in 2005, AOU-related student programs included membership support, travel assistance, presentation awards, and other activities at annual meetings. These programs continued within the AOS structure and complement the society's broader professional awards. AOS recognizes senior and early-career achievement through awards including the William Brewster Memorial Award, Elliott Coues Award, Loye and Alden Miller Research Award, Ralph W. Schreiber Conservation Award, James G. Cooper Young Professional Awards, and Ned K. Johnson Young Investigator Award. Student programs include membership awards, travel awards, and presentation awards for research in areas such as conservation and avian behavior. In October 2023, AOS announced a significant nomenclature initiative: English bird names linked to individual people would be reconsidered and replaced. The society presented the initiative as an effort to remove commemorative names associated with racism and to adopt names describing birds' habitats, physical characteristics, behaviors, or other intrinsic features. Public input was part of the proposed process. The initiative involved more than 100 species across the Americas and prompted a range of reactions, illustrating the cultural and scientific significance of standardized bird names. Today, the American Ornithological Society functions as a membership organization, scholarly publisher, scientific standards body, award administrator, and convening institution. Its work connects academic ornithology with museums, conservation organizations, students, professional researchers, and the wider birding public. While its principal organizational base is in the United States, its scientific scope covers the Americas and its publications and standards are used by an international ornithological community.

• 2023

  Bird-name replacement initiative announced

  [1]American Ornithological Societyen.wikipedia.org

  AOS announced plans to replace English bird names associated with people with more descriptive names, using a process that included public participation.

• 2016

  American Ornithological Society established

  [1]American Ornithological Societyen.wikipedia.org

  The American Ornithologists' Union merged with the Cooper Ornithological Society, creating AOS and ending the AOU's independent operation.

• 2013

  AOU and Cooper Ornithological Society deepen collaboration

  [1]American Ornithological Societyen.wikipedia.org

  The organizations introduced joint meetings, centralized publishing operations, and a coordinated journal strategy.

• 2005

  Student award programs expand

  [1]American Ornithological Societyen.wikipedia.org

  Student awards and meeting activities began to be developed to encourage participation and career development in ornithology.

• 2003

  Student Affairs Committee created

  [1]American Ornithological Societyen.wikipedia.org

  A student-focused committee was established in response to declining student membership in ornithological societies.

• 1899

  The Condor begins publication

  [1]American Ornithological Societyen.wikipedia.org

  The quarterly journal The Condor began publication and later became Ornithological Applications under AOS.

• 1884

  The Auk begins publication

  [1]American Ornithological Societyen.wikipedia.org

  The AOU's quarterly journal The Auk began publication and later became the AOS journal Ornithology.

• 1883

  American Ornithologists' Union founded

  [1]American Ornithological Societyen.wikipedia.org

  A convention at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City established the American Ornithologists' Union, one of the principal predecessors of AOS.

A professional scientific society and authoritative knowledge institution for ornithology, combining scholarly publishing, bird classification, professional development, conservation science, and community-building.

• Scholarly journal · 1884

  Ornithology

  A quarterly peer-reviewed journal of ornithological research published by AOS. It was formerly known as The Auk, a publication that began in 1884 under the American Ornithologists' Union. The journal serves as a principal outlet for research on birds and contributes to the scientific literature that informs classification, ecology, behavior, evolution, and conservation.

• Scholarly journal · 1899

  Ornithological Applications

  A quarterly journal focused on applied ornithology and the use of scientific knowledge in conservation and management. Formerly titled The Condor, it traces its publication history to 1899 and operates as one of the society's main scholarly publications.

• Scientific checklist

  AOS Checklist of North American Birds

  An authoritative reference work covering the classification and standardized English names of birds in North America. The checklist supports researchers, conservationists, museums, educators, field-guide authors, databases, and birders by providing a common taxonomic framework.

• Scientific monograph series

  Ornithological Monographs

  A monograph series associated with the society's scholarly publishing program. It provides space for substantial ornithological studies that require more extensive treatment than a standard journal article.

• Taxonomic standards

  North American Classification Committee

  AOS committee responsible for developing and maintaining standardized classifications and English names for birds of North and Middle America. Its work supports consistent scientific and public communication about species and taxonomic relationships.

• Taxonomic standards

  South American Classification Committee

  AOS committee that develops a standard classification and English-language naming framework for South American birds. Its decisions are intended to provide a consistent reference for ornithological research and bird-related information resources.

• Professional development

  AOS Awards and Student Programs

  A portfolio of scientific, conservation, early-career, and student programs. It includes senior research awards, young-professional recognition, student membership support, travel assistance, and presentation awards connected with the society's meetings.

• 2023Bird Names for Birds

  United States · Canada · Latin America · South America

  AOS announced a process to replace English bird names honoring individual people with names based on observable or ecological characteristics such as habitat, appearance, or behavior. The initiative was framed as a way to address names connected to problematic historical figures and to make bird names more descriptive.

  Outcome. The announcement generated substantial public discussion and mixed reactions in the birding community. The organization stated that public input would form part of the renaming process.

  Source
• 2005Expanded student participation programs

  United States · Canada · International student ornithologists

  Following the creation of a Student Affairs Committee, the organization expanded awards and meeting activities intended to attract students and support early ornithological careers.

  Outcome. The programs became part of the society's continuing student membership, travel, research, and presentation support.

  Source

• 2023

  Review of bird names associated with peopleOther

  Background

  AOS stated that some commemorative bird names were associated with individuals whose histories included racism or other conduct inconsistent with contemporary values.

  Action taken

  The society announced that more than 100 species across the Americas would receive replacement English names, with public input and a preference for descriptive naming.

  Aftermath

  The policy prompted mixed reactions and opened a wider discussion about scientific nomenclature, commemoration, historical context, and public participation in naming decisions.

  Source

• 2016

  Merger creating the American Ornithological SocietyM&A

  Background

  The American Ornithologists' Union and Cooper Ornithological Society had developed a close partnership involving operations, meetings, and publishing.

  Action taken

  The AOU ceased independent operation and merged with the Cooper Ornithological Society to establish AOS.

  Aftermath

  The new society combined the predecessor organizations' publishing, classification, awards, membership, and professional activities.

  Source

• 2013

  Joint operating model with the Cooper Ornithological SocietyStrategy

  Background

  The American Ornithologists' Union and Cooper Ornithological Society sought to improve efficiency and strengthen their shared professional community.

  Action taken

  They introduced joint meetings, a centralized publishing office, and a coordinated approach to their journals.

  Aftermath

  The collaboration preceded the full merger that created the American Ornithological Society in 2016.

  Source

• 2023

  American Ornithological Society announces renaming of bird species associated with people[1]American Ornithological Societyen.wikipedia.org

  Other · Campaign

  AOS announced that it would begin replacing English bird names associated with individual people. The organization said the process would seek more descriptive names and would include public input. More than 100 species across the Americas were expected to be affected, and the announcement produced mixed reactions among birders.

• 2016

  American Ornithological Society formed through merger of two ornithological organizations[1]American Ornithological Societyen.wikipedia.org

  M&A · Leadership change

  The American Ornithologists' Union and the Cooper Ornithological Society combined to create the American Ornithological Society. The transaction followed several years of operational collaboration and ended the AOU's independent existence.

• 2013

  American Ornithologists' Union and Cooper Ornithological Society announce closer collaboration[1]American Ornithological Societyen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The two organizations announced joint meetings, a shared publishing office, and a refocusing of their journals as steps toward more efficient operations and closer institutional integration.

1. 1American Ornithological Societyen.wikipedia.org
2. 2American Ornithological Society websiteaou.org