Royal Society for the Protection of Birds facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds

Formation	1889 (1889), Fletcher Moss Botanical Garden, Manchester
Type	Conservation charity
Headquarters	The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire, England 2 Lochside View, Edinburgh, Scotland
Area served	United Kingdom
President	Amir Khan
Key people	Kevin Cox (Chairman) Beccy Speight (Chief Executive)
Revenue	£157.7 million GBP (2022)
Staff (2022)	2,231
Volunteers (2022)	10,500
Website	rspb.org.uk

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a charity in the United Kingdom. It was started in 1889. The RSPB works to protect birds and the natural environment. They do this through public campaigns, asking for new laws, and by running special nature reserves across the UK.

In 2021/22, the RSPB had an income of £157 million. They had 2,200 employees and 10,500 volunteers. They also had 1.1 million members, including 195,000 young people. This makes the RSPB one of the biggest wildlife conservation groups in the world. The RSPB has many local groups and manages 222 nature reserves.

History of the RSPB

A plaque at Fletcher Moss Park, Manchester, where the RSPB began.

The RSPB started in 1889 thanks to two groups of women:

• The Plumage League was founded by Emily Williamson in Manchester. This group protested against using bird skins and feathers in fashion, especially for hats.
• The Fin, Fur and Feather Folk was started in Croydon by Eliza Phillips, Etta Lemon, and others.

These groups became very popular and joined together in 1891 to form the Society for the Protection of Birds in London. The Society received a special Royal Charter in 1904. This meant the King officially recognized and supported their work.

The first members of the Society were all women. They campaigned against the popular fashion of wearing exotic feathers in hats. This fashion led to a lot of "plume hunting," where birds were killed just for their feathers. The Society had two main rules:

• Members should stop birds from being destroyed for no good reason and help protect them.
  
• Lady-Members should not wear feathers from any bird unless it was killed for food. The only exception was ostrich feathers.

At the time, the trade in feathers for hats was huge. For example, in just three months of 1884, almost 7,000 bird-of-paradise skins were brought into Britain. Also, 400,000 birds from West India and Brazil, and 360,000 birds from East India were imported.

In 1890, the Society published its first leaflet. It was called Destruction of Ornamental-Plumaged Birds. It aimed to save egret birds by telling wealthy women about the harm caused by using feathers in fashion. Later, in 1897, they published Bird Food in Winter. This leaflet encouraged people to use fake berries for winter decorations instead of real ones, so birds would have enough food. By 1898, the Society had 20,000 members.

The Society gained support from important women, like the Duchess of Portland. She became the Society's first President. Many other influential people, both men and women, also joined. The Society received its Royal Charter from King Edward VII in 1904. This was only 15 years after it started. The RSPB was very important in asking the UK Parliament to create laws banning the use of feathers in clothing.

In 1961, the RSPB moved its main office to The Lodge in Sandy, Bedfordshire. The RSPB's logo shows an avocet bird. The first version of the logo was designed by Robert Gillmor.

RSPB Activities

An avocet at the RSPB's Minsmere reserve. This bird is on the RSPB's logo.

Today, the RSPB works with the government to give advice on conservation and environmental policies. They are one of the groups that decide the official list of how endangered birds in the UK are.

The RSPB does not run bird hospitals or offer animal rescue services.

The RSPB also partnered with a housebuilder called Barratt Developments in 2014.

Nature Reserves

South Stack reserve, Anglesey, with Ellin's Tower, which has a visitor centre.

A webcam near Sumburgh Head lighthouse, Shetland. This RSPB nature reserve has many seabirds.

The RSPB manages over 200 nature reserves across the United Kingdom. These reserves protect many different types of places where animals live, like estuaries, mudflats, forests, and even city areas. The reserves often have special hides where people can watch birds without disturbing them. Many also have visitor centres with information about the local wildlife.

RSPB Awards

The RSPB gives awards to volunteers who do amazing work for the society. One of these is the President's Award.

RSPB Medal

The RSPB Medal is the most important award given by the Society. It is given to a person who has done a lot to protect wild birds and the countryside. Usually, one or two people receive this award each year.

RSPB Magazines

The RSPB has published magazines for its members for over 100 years.

Birds Magazine

The magazine Birds was published every three months from 1966 until 2013.

Nature's Home Magazine

In late 2013, Birds magazine was replaced by a new magazine called Nature's Home. The editor was Mark Ward.

The RSPB Magazine

Since summer/autumn 2022, the magazine has been called The RSPB Magazine.

RSPB for Young People

The RSPB has two groups especially for children and teenagers:

• Wildlife Explorers is for children aged 8 to 12, but younger kids can join too. It used to be called the Young Ornithologists' Club (YOC). This group has two magazines: Wild Times for ages 0-7, and Wild Explorer for ages 8-12.
• RSPB Phoenix is for teenagers. It produces Wingbeat magazine, which is mostly written by young people for other young people.

Big Garden Birdwatch

The RSPB organizes the Big Garden Birdwatch every year. This is a day when people in Britain count the birds they see in their gardens. The RSPB calls it the "world's biggest wildlife survey." It helps experts understand how bird populations are changing in British gardens.

The Big Garden Birdwatch started in 1979 as an activity for children. From 2001, adults were also encouraged to take part. In 2011, over 600,000 people joined in. This event usually happens on the last weekend of January. Since the survey began, the number of house sparrows has dropped by 60%. Starling populations have gone down by about 80% between 1979 and 2012.

In 2022, almost 700,000 people took part in the Big Garden Birdwatch. They counted more than 11 billion birds!

BirdTrack

BirdTrack is an online website where people can record their bird sightings. It's a "citizen science" project. It is run by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) along with the RSPB and other bird organizations.

How the RSPB is Funded

Fund-raising at the Great British Beer Festival 2016

The RSPB gets most of its money from its members. In 2006, over half of the society's income came from membership fees, donations, and money left to them in wills. As a registered charity, the RSPB can also get extra money from the government through a scheme called "gift aid." This adds 25p for every £1 donated by people who pay income tax. Most of the money is spent on conservation projects, taking care of nature reserves, and education programs.

Advertising and Finances

In 2014, there was a report that questioned how much of the RSPB's money was spent on conservation. The RSPB clarified that 90% of its net income (money left after expenses) was spent on conservation. They also explained that conservation activities include many different things, not just their own nature reserves. The Charity Commission accepted this explanation.

RSPB Presidents

Winifred Cavendish-Bentinck, Duchess of Portland, painted in 1912.

The RSPB has had many presidents over the years. Here are some of them:

• Winifred Cavendish-Bentinck, Duchess of Portland 1891–1954
• Cyril Hurcomb
• Colonel Sir Tufton Beamish
• Derek Barber, Baron Barber of Tewkesbury
• Robert Dougall
• Max Nicholson 1980–1985
• Magnus Magnusson 1985–1990
• Sir Derek Barber 1990–1991
• Ian Prestt 1991–1994
• Julian Pettifer 1994–?
• Jonathan Dimbleby 2001–?
• Julian Pettifer 2004–2009
• Kate Humble 2009–2013
• Miranda Krestovnikoff 2013–2022
• Amir Khan 2022- (current President)

RSPB Chief Officers

The main leaders of the RSPB have had different job titles over time.

• William Henry Hudson – Chairman of Committee 1894
• Sir Montagu Sharpe, KBE DL – Chairman of Committee 1895–1942
• Phillip Brown
• Peter Conder OBE – Secretary 1963. Director 1964–1975
• Ian Prestt CBE – Director General 1975–1991
• Barbara Young – CEO 1991–1998
• Sir Graham Wynne – CEO 1998–2010
• Mike Clarke – Chief Executive 2010–2019
• Beccy Speight - Chief Executive 2019-

RSPB Partners

The RSPB works with other groups. It is a member of Wildlife and Countryside Link. The RSPB is also the UK partner of BirdLife International. It helps manage the South Atlantic Invasive Species Project for different governments.

See also

• List of Birdlife International national partner organisations
• Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
• National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
• Wildlife law in England and Wales
• Category:Royal Society for the Protection of Birds reserves