The African Bird Club (ABC) is the charity dedicated to conserving birds and their habitats across the continent of Africa and related islands. Our purpose is also to further ornithology in this region. We are the leading organisation concerned with the conservation and study of African birds.
ABC was formed in 1994 by a community of people with a common interest in African ornithology and a shared concern for the future of African birds. From those small beginnings, ABC has grown into an international association of over 1,200 members in more than 70 countries across the globe.
Governance
ABC is run on a voluntary basis by a board of charity trustees, who are elected by members at the annual general meeting (AGM) or appointed by the board.
The trustees include a Chair (Wesley Paul), Vice Chair (Paul Buckley), Secretary (Susie Squier), Treasurer (Anne Varney) and Conservation Officer (Ian Francis), who are the Executive Officers of the charity.
ABC has representatives in over 50 countries and you can find out more about them here.
A conservation committee manages ABC’s Awards Programme.
The committee members are: Tim Dodman, Lincoln Fishpool, Ian Francis (Chair), Wenceslas Gatarabirwa, Kariuki Ndang’ang’a and Hanneline Smit-Robinson.
An editorial board oversees the content and production of the Bulletin of the African Bird Club.
The board members are: Guy Kirwan (Managing Editor), Ron Demey (Editor), Lionel Sineux (Graphics Editor), Chris Bowden, Callan Cohen, Lincoln Fishpool, Peter Lack, Jeremy Lindsell and Nigel Redman.
ABC’s President is Tasso Leventis, whose Conservation Foundation set up and funds the A.P. Leventis Ornithological Research Institute in Nigeria, and our two Vice Presidents are Keith Betton and Richard Charles, who are both past Chairmen of the Club.
ABC is registered in England and Wales (charity number 1184309) and presently constituted as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. You can download a copy of ABC’s constitution here.
Membership
ABC is a charity with a wider membership, including voting members other than the charity trustees. Membership is open to anyone who is interested in what we do, which is only possible thanks to the support of people like you.
Click here to join ABC or renew your membership.
Membership benefits
All ABC members receive:
• two issues per year of our flagship Bulletin*, packed full of news, round-ups and reports, feature articles, letters and reviews
• access to digital editions of the Bulletin through our bespoke app, so you can download and read the latest issues on a smartphone or tablet
• our e-newsletter every six months, to keep you up to date with what ABC is doing
• an information service to help you plan trips and identify what you saw (simply email us at info@africanbirdclub.org and we will get back to you as soon as we can)
• an invitation to our AGM, in which you can take part in person or by proxy
• invitations to our members-only talks, on a range of topics related to African birds and conservation, by experts in their field
*Student members and Supported members receive digital editions only of the Bulletin. Individual, Family, Life and Supporting members may choose to receive printed or digital editions, and those who choose printed will receive digital as well. Individual or Family members who choose to receive digital editions will pay a reduced annual membership fee.
Membership fees
Individual membership fees are:
£30* per year (Africa and UK)
£33* per year (Europe except UK)
£35* per year (Rest of the World)
Family membership fees are:
£35* per year (Africa and UK)
£38* per year (Europe except UK)
£40* per year (Rest of the World)
*Or £25 (regardless of where you live) if you choose to receive digital editions of the Bulletin.
Life membership is available for a one-off payment of £600.
Student members, who must be under 18 or studying for an undergraduate or a postgraduate degree, pay an annual fee of £12.50.
Membership is free to eligible Supported members.
Fees for Supporting members, who help subsidise Supported members, are:
£40 per year (Africa and UK)
£43 per year (Europe except UK)
£45 per year (Rest of the World)
All membership fees can be paid online for one or two years.
Supported membership
You may become a Supported member of ABC if you:
• live in an African country
• take an active interest in African birds and their conservation
• cannot afford Individual membership fees
To apply, you or the person who is recommending you should send an email to chairman@africanbirdclub.org with:
• your full name
• the country where you are from
• your current email address
• a brief statement about how you are involved with African birds and contributing to their conservation