Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union

The Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union, now part of BirdLife Australia, was founded in 1901 to promote the study and conservation of the native bird species of Australia and adjacent regions. This makes it Australia's oldest national birding association. It was also Australia's largest non-government, non-profit, bird conservation organisation. In 1996 it adopted the trading name of Birds Australia for most public purposes, while retaining its original name for legal purposes and as the publisher of its journal the Emu. In 2012 it merged with Bird Observation & Conservation Australia to form BirdLife Australia.

The RAOU was the instigator of the Atlas of Australian Birds project. It was also the publisher (in association with Oxford University Press) of the encyclopaedic Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Its quarterly colour membership magazine was Wingspan. The RAOU is the Australian Partner of BirdLife International. The motto of the RAOU was 'Conservation through Knowledge'.

The RAOU was formally constituted (as the Australasian Ornithologists Union) on 1 July 1901 in Melbourne, Victoria, following a series of informal meetings held by a small group of amateur ornithologists from 1896. The driving force behind the formation of the union was Archibald J. Campbell. Founding membership was 137, including 6 women and 10 overseas members.

The first general meeting of members was held in Adelaide on 1 November 1901, where office-bearers were elected. The first president was Colonel William Vincent Legge of Tasmania, the secretary was Dudley Le Souef, the treasurer Robert Hall, and the editors Archibald J. Campbell and Henry Kendall. Such general meetings, soon termed 'congresses' were held annually thereafter and were normally accompanied by the annual 'campouts' of several days' duration which gave members the opportunity to meet and to collect specimens and eggs.

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