What American Birding Association does

The American Birding Association (ABA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 74-2347314) headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, that functions as the primary membership body for recreational birders across the ABA Area — Continental U.S., Canada, and St.-Pierre-et-Miquelon. Founded approximately in the late 1960s and operating with a 27-person staff of full-time, part-time, and contractor employees, the ABA delivers a broad portfolio of publications, digital content, programs, and travel products: the flagship Birding magazine (published 8x/year for 57 years), North American Birds journal (2x/year), a weekly American Birding Podcast, bi-weekly livestreams, an ABA Store, guided international birding tours, Young Birder Programs including Camp Colorado and Camp Delaware Bay, Community Weekends, and the ABA Birders' Exchange Donation Program. The organization also curates authoritative reference assets — the ABA Checklist documenting 1,161 species, a member-only Identification Vault with 700+ articles, the North American Rare Bird Alert (NARBA), the ABA Birding News aggregator, Listing Central, and a Code of Birding Ethics — and runs an annual Bird of the Year campaign (2025 Common Loon, 2026 Horned Lark) with artist collaborations.

The ABA's technology footprint is modest and consumer-facing: a WooCommerce-powered e-commerce platform for merchandise and memberships, a website, podcast and livestream production, and integration with social platforms including Facebook groups (General Discussion, What's This Bird, Rare Bird Alert), YouTube, and Twitter/X. No mobile app, proprietary platform architecture, or AI/ML tooling is disclosed. The business model is a hybrid nonprofit structure combining recurring membership dues at tiered price points (with $60+ unlocking replacement-copy benefits), one-time merchandise sales (apparel, accessories, ABA Songbird Coffee at $5.50–$67.76), guided birding tour revenue across domestic and international destinations, and donations including planned and matching gifts. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, leveraging affiliated local birding clubs, moderated online communities, newsletters, festivals, and the Bird of the Year program to acquire and retain members. Leadership includes Executive Director Wayne Klockner (ex-The Nature Conservancy), Deputy Executive Director Amy Fincher, and long-tenured editorial figures such as Birding editor Ted Floyd (since 2002) and member Peter Pyle (since 1969).

Name

American Birding Association

Legal name

American Birding Association

Website

https://aba.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The American Birding Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization serving recreational birders across North America through publications, podcasts, birding tours, educational programs, and a national network of affiliated clubs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Colorado Springs

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: ABA generates revenue through annual membership dues at various levels, with benefits including monthly magazines (Birding magazine 8x/year), member-only content, partner discounts, and access to North American Birds journal semiannually.
2. ABA Store (Merchandise): The ABA operates an e-commerce store selling branded merchandise including apparel (t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats), accessories (mugs, water bottles, stickers), puzzles, and the ABA Songbird Coffee line. Prices range from $5.50 (stickers) to $67.76 (hoodies).
3. Birding Tours and Travel: ABA offers guided birding tours worldwide including destinations such as Japan (Hokkaido), Greece, Southern Peru, Chile, and domestic tours. These are premium travel experiences organized by the Travel Coordinator.
4. Donations and Planned Giving: The ABA accepts donations, planned gifts, matching gifts, and leadership gifts as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Tax ID: 74-2347314.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The American Birding Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization that provides recreational birders with publications (Birding magazine, North American Birds journal), digital media (podcast, livestreams, news aggregator), structured birding resources (ABA Checklist, Identification Vault, Listing Central), birding tours, young birder programs, camps, community weekends, rare bird alert services, and an e-commerce merchandise store. The organization sustains operations through membership dues, donations, merchandise sales, tour fees, and advertising across print and digital platforms.

Product overview

The American Birding Association operates as a nonprofit organization offering a comprehensive suite of birding-focused products and services. The core offering centers on publishing (Birding Magazine and North American Birds Journal), media (American Birding Podcast, ABA Livestreams, and editorial columns), and community platforms (ABA Community Social Network, Rare Bird Alerts, and Birding News aggregator). The Association provides structured birding resources including the ABA Checklist, Identification Vault, and Listing Central. Programs include birding tours and travel, youth development through Young Birder Programs and summer camps, and Community Weekends. Revenue-generating activities include the ABA Store (merchandise and Songbird Coffee) and membership subscriptions. Additional offerings include the Bird of the Year Program and Birders' Exchange donation program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• American Birding Podcast: Weekly podcast hosted by Nate Swick featuring staff and friends of the ABA discussing birds, birding, travel, and conservation.
• ABA Livestreams
• ABA Birding News
• ABA Songbird Coffee
• Birding Magazine
• North American Birds Journal

Products and services

• ABA Membership
• Birding Magazine
• North American Birds Journal
• American Birding Podcast
• Birding Tours & Travel
• ABA Store
• ABA Songbird Coffee
• ABA Young Birder Programs
• ABA Community Weekends
• ABA Livestreams
• Birders' Exchange Donation Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Birding magazine published for 57 years
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Birders' Exchange Donation ProgramcoreOthersA donation program that connects birders with equipment needs to available resources, supporting birding accessibility and community support.
• ABA Songbird CoffeeminorOthersA branded coffee product line sold through the ABA Store, supporting the organization with each purchase. Offered in various roasts including Decaf, French Roast, Guatemalan Light Roast, Nicaraguan Medium Roast, and Colombian Dark Roast.
• North American Rare Bird Alert (NARBA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNARBA is the source for fast, accurate rare bird reports in the ABA Area (Canada, the U.S., and St.-Pierre-et-Miquelon). ABA members who sign up receive alerts via email; alerts are also viewable on the web. Managed by Marky Mutchler as NARBA Coordinator.
• Birding Clubs & Organizations NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHundreds of local and regional birding clubs and ornithological societies affiliated across all U.S. states and Canadian provinces, promoting ethical birding and ABA resources.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Cornell Lab of Ornithology: Cornell University's bird research and education institution that operates eBird, Merlin Bird ID, the Macaulay Library, and publishes Living Bird magazine. Directly comparable to ABA because it serves the same recreational birding community with overlapping products (listing tools, identification resources, publications) and is the primary free alternative to ABA's paid offerings.
• BirdLife International: A global partnership of national bird conservation organizations spanning more than 100 countries. Comparable to ABA in its mission to connect birders and conserve birds, but operates at a federation level rather than as a direct membership organization serving individual recreational birders.
• Ducks Unlimited: A major North American waterfowl and wetlands conservation nonprofit with a large dues-paying membership base. Comparable to ABA in operating a bird-focused membership model with publications, events, and conservation programming, though its species focus is narrower (waterfowl and wetlands).
• Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB): The UK's largest nature conservation charity, with a membership-based model very similar to ABA's (annual dues, magazine, reserves, birding events). Closest international analog to ABA in mission, member benefits structure, and community-building approach, though operating in the UK/Europe rather than North America.
• American Bird Conservancy: A U.S.-based nonprofit dedicated to conserving native wild birds and their habitats across the Americas. Comparable to ABA because it operates in the same North American bird conservation space, though it is more focused on conservation policy and habitat programs than on recreational birding community-building.
• Birds Canada: Canada's national bird conservation organization, formerly Bird Studies Canada. Directly comparable to ABA as a North American bird-focused nonprofit serving birders, citizen scientists, and conservation interests, with overlapping programs in monitoring, advocacy, and member engagement.

Broad incumbents

• The Wilderness Society: A U.S. nonprofit focused on protecting wilderness and public lands. Comparable to ABA as a membership-based environmental nonprofit with publications and advocacy, but its mission centers on land-use policy rather than birding specifically, putting it in adjacent rather than direct competition.
• National Audubon Society: The largest bird-focused nonprofit in the United States, operating a network of state offices, sanctuaries, and conservation programs. Audubon overlaps directly with ABA in birding membership, magazine publishing, and advocacy, but operates at materially larger scale and with a broader conservation mandate than ABA's recreational-birding focus.
• The Nature Conservancy: A global environmental nonprofit focused on lands and waters conservation. Comparable to ABA in nonprofit mission and donor base, and the Executive Director Wayne Klockner previously worked at The Nature Conservancy, but its scope is far broader than birds and it operates at the largest end of the conservation nonprofit scale.
• National Wildlife Federation: One of the largest U.S. wildlife conservation nonprofits with a broad wildlife mandate (not bird-specific). Comparable to ABA in nonprofit membership model, magazine publishing, and conservation advocacy, but with a much broader species focus and substantially larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/AmericanBirdingAssociation
• Facebookfacebook.com/groups/ABAbirds
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-birding-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about American Birding Association