International Ornithologists' Union facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
International Ornithologists' Union

Abbreviation	IOU
Main organ	Committee of Representatives and International Ornithological Congress
Affiliations	International Union of Biological Sciences
Formerly called	International Ornithological Committee

The International Ornithologists' Union (IOU) is a worldwide group that helps people learn more about ornithology. Ornithology is the study of birds! The IOU connects scientists who study birds and helps share their knowledge. They also encourage learning and activities about birds.

The IOU organizes big meetings about birds. They also create groups to study different parts of bird life and help protect birds. The IOU shares its members' names to help bird experts from different countries work together. It is also the bird-focused part of the IUBS.

What the IOU Aims to Do

The IOU wants to help bird science grow. They share what they learn about birds with other scientists and the public. They also work with other groups that care about birds. The IOU encourages local research, even involving people who study birds as a hobby. They help bird experts from different countries work together. The IOU also makes sure that new discoveries in bird science are used to help protect birds.

The IOU's Journey: A History of Bird Science

For a long time, big international science meetings were rare. The very first International Ornithological Congress happened in 1884. It was started because of a big bird mystery: avian migration. Many birds fly long distances every year, but scientists didn't understand how or why.

Early Congresses and Bird Migration

In Europe, many countries needed to work together to study bird migration. Rudolf Blasius and Gustav von Hayek came up with a plan. They got support from Crown-Prince Rudolf of Austria-Hungary. The first meeting was in Vienna in April 1884. It mostly focused on studying bird migration. They set up a complex system to collect data, but it became too much to handle by the 1890s.

The second meeting in Budapest in 1891 also focused on migration. But it also included other bird topics, like how to classify different bird species. Later meetings in Paris, London, and Berlin covered many areas of bird research. A meeting planned for 1915 was stopped by the start of the First World War.

Bringing Back the Meetings

Ernst Hartert helped restart the congresses in Copenhagen in 1926. After that, meetings were planned for every four years. Rules for how the International Ornithological Committee would work were set in 1932. These rules were officially published in 1938. Another world event, the Second World War, stopped the 1942 meeting. The next congress was held in Uppsala, Sweden, in 1950.

Important Talks and Discoveries

A highlight of these meetings has always been special talks by world experts. These talks share new discoveries in bird science. For example, scientists have talked about how birds behave, how their bodies work, and how they are related to each other. Some talks even looked at the history of bird study.

Expanding Worldwide

The first congress held outside Europe was in Ithaca, New York, in 1962. The first one in the Southern Hemisphere was in Canberra, Australia, in 1974. The meetings started to look like they do today in Berlin in 1978. Donald Farner created the first science program committee there. He also wrote new rules for how the organization would work.

At this time, they set up a pattern for the meetings. It included big talks, smaller group discussions, and presentations of new research. By 1986, organizing these big meetings became too much for one person. So, they created a permanent secretary position. Walter Bock was the first to hold this job. Dr. Dominique Homberger took over in 1998 in South Africa.

International Ornithological Congress

The International Ornithological Congress is organized by the IOU. It is the oldest and largest series of international meetings for bird scientists. These meetings started in 1884. Since 1926, they have happened every four years. Only the Second World War stopped them twice.

Meetings

Joining the IOU: Membership Benefits

IOU members get many benefits. They can watch online talks by bird scientists. They also get discounts on books about birds. Members pay less to register for the International Ornithological Congresses and other IOU events. They can also join or start groups to work on specific bird projects. Members also get to vote on certain IOU matters.

The IOU offers different membership prices. These prices depend on the economic situation of different countries. Members can also donate money to help the IOU's work and programs.

IOU Webinars: Learning Online

The IOU webinars are online talks. They show the newest research and discoveries in bird science. Speakers from different countries share their ideas and findings. They talk about bird biology, how birds live in their environment, their behavior, how to protect them, and how to teach others about birds.

These online talks are free for members. They are also recorded and put on the IOU website and YouTube channel. This means you can watch them anytime you want.

Working Groups: Teams for Bird Science

The IOU creates platforms for working groups. These groups focus on specific topics. Experts and specialists lead them. The goal of these groups is to help bird science grow and share knowledge. They reach out to bird scientists, conservationists, and educators.

Here are some of the current working groups:

• Avian Checklists: This group creates and updates a free list of all bird species and subspecies in the world. They use careful scientific rules to make their decisions.
• Avian Morphology: This group helps scientists who study bird bodies work together. They look at bird anatomy, how birds move, how they grow, and how they have changed over time.
• Bird Marking: This group promotes good ways to mark birds for science and conservation. This helps scientists track birds.
• Birds as Peacemakers: This group explores how birds can help bring peace. They look at how birds might help solve problems in places with conflict.
• Ethics in Ornithology: This group creates rules for doing bird research and teaching about birds in a fair and right way.
• Psittaciformes: This group works on protecting parrots. Parrots are one of the most endangered groups of birds in the world.
• Gondwanan Ornithology: This group helps bird scientists from the southern continents work together. These continents were once part of a supercontinent called Gondwana. This includes places like Africa, South America, Australia, Antarctica, and India.

See also

• Cornell Lab of Ornithology
• American Ornithological Society
• British Ornithologists' Union