American Ornithological Society

Name

American Ornithological Society

Legal name

American Ornithological Society

Website

https://americanornithology.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Scientific Society

NAICS

Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarly Societies & Conference Proceedings Publishing (MPAJABAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Life Sciences (Biology, Ecology, Agriculture) Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAC), Scholarly Society & Association Publishing (EDAGAFAK)

Keywords

• Ornithological research society
• Scientific journal publishing
• Bird conservation grants
• Professional ornithology membership
• Annual scientific conferences

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees providing access to publications, member portal, and society benefits. Student memberships are available, with sponsored student memberships offered at no cost to qualifying students globally.
2. Scientific Publications: Publishing two international peer-reviewed journals (Ornithology and Ornithological Applications) and official checklists for North and South American birds. Partnership with Cornell Lab of Ornithology for Birds of the World online publication.
3. Annual Meeting Registration: Conference registration fees for the annual ornithological meeting. The 2026 meeting in Amherst, MA is the 144th annual meeting.
4. Research Grants Administration: While grants are awarded to researchers rather than revenue-generating, the society administers named research grants funded through endowments and bequests (e.g., Brina Kessel fellowships).
5. Donations: The society accepts donations to support ornithological research, conservation initiatives, and fellowship programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The American Ornithological Society is a nonprofit scientific society that publishes two international peer-reviewed journals (Ornithology and Ornithological Applications), maintains official taxonomic checklists for North/Middle and South American birds, co-publishes the Birds of the World digital platform with Cornell Lab, and hosts an annual scientific meeting. It also administers a portfolio of research grants, fellowships, travel grants, caregiver grants, achievement awards, and sponsored student memberships for professional ornithologists, students, and conservation scientists globally.

Product overview

The American Ornithological Society (AOS) is a professional ornithological society offering a portfolio of scientific publications, conferences, and research grant programs. Its core publications include two international peer-reviewed journals (Ornithology and Ornithological Applications) published through Oxford University Press, and the Birds of the World digital platform co-published with Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The society maintains official taxonomy check-lists for North, Middle, and South American birds. AOS operates an annual scientific meeting and provides a member portal for accessing publications and managing awards and grants. The organization supports ornithological research through multiple grant programs including Student Research Grants (up to $4,000), Kessel Fellowships ($15,000-$30,000), Latin American/Caribbean Conservation Research Grants (up to $5,000), Travel Grants, Caregiver Grants, and AOS-Sponsored Student Memberships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ornithology (Journal)

Named customers4 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

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Cornell Lab of OrnithologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAOS partners with Cornell Lab of Ornithology for the online publication of Birds of the World (birdsoftheworld.org). Cornell Lab is also the Premier Sponsor of the AOS 2026 Annual Meeting. This is a key strategic partnership for disseminating ornithological knowledge and species information to researchers and bird enthusiasts globally.
• National Audubon SocietyflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Audubon Society is a Silver Sponsor of the AOS 2026 Annual Meeting. Audubon has preserved bird habitats for 120 years, conducted scientific research, influenced conservation policy, and mobilized communities to protect natural resources birds depend on.
• Mass AudubonflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMass Audubon is a Silver Sponsor of the AOS 2026 Annual Meeting and serves as a Host Society co-sponsor. As New England's largest nature conservation organization, Mass Audubon focuses on biodiversity loss, equitable nature access, and climate change.
• Oxford University PresscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOxford University Press publishes AOS journals Ornithology and Ornithological Applications, making them available to institutional subscribers and individual researchers worldwide through academic publishing channels.
• Princeton University PressminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrinceton University Press, along with Cornell Lab of Ornithology, is publishing 'The Bird Guide: North America' field reference guide, expected in 2027.
• Oxford University PresscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOxford University Press publishes more than 500 scientific journals and a growing collection of books covering biology, life sciences, and mathematics, including AOS journals Ornithology and Ornithological Applications.
• Cornell Lab of OrnithologyflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCornell Lab of Ornithology is the Premier Sponsor of the AOS 2026 Annual Meeting. Their mission is to advance understanding and protection of the natural world, partnering with people from all backgrounds for scientific discoveries, knowledge sharing, and conservation action.
• The Wildlife SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExhibitor at AOS 2026 Annual Meeting. Founded in 1936, TWS empowers wildlife professionals to advance conservation through science, community engagement, and professional excellence.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• International Ornithologists' Union: The global counterpart professional society for ornithologists, organizing the International Ornithological Congress. Highly comparable to AOS in scientific society mandate and member-driven governance, but operating at a worldwide rather than Americas-focused scale.
• Society for Conservation Biology: International professional society advancing the science and practice of conservation biology, publishing Conservation Biology and Conservation Letters. Comparable to AOS as a membership-based scientific society that publishes peer-reviewed journals, awards grants, and holds annual conferences, though with a broader taxonomic and geographic scope.
• The Wildlife Society: A wildlife-focused professional scientific society that publishes journals, hosts annual conferences, and supports wildlife practitioners. Highly comparable to AOS in member-driven scientific society structure, and already a documented partner/exhibitor at AOS's 2026 Annual Meeting.
• Ecological Society of America: The largest professional society for ecologists in North America, publishing multiple peer-reviewed journals including Ecology and Ecological Monographs. Directly comparable to AOS as a long-standing scientific society with peer-reviewed publications, annual meetings, research awards, and a similar Americas-focused membership.
• British Ornithologists' Union: The UK's leading ornithological society, publishing the journal Ibis and serving a global membership of professional and amateur ornithologists. Directly comparable to AOS in mission, publishing model, and member-based scientific society structure, though with a primarily UK/European geographic orientation.
• American Society of Mammalogists: A scientific society dedicated to the study of mammals, publishing the Journal of Mammalogy and hosting annual meetings. Highly comparable to AOS in mission, organizational structure, and publishing model, with taxonomic adjacency (vertebrate zoology) but a different animal focus.

Broad incumbents

• Cornell Lab of Ornithology: A much larger research and conservation institution at Cornell University that operates citizen science platforms (eBird, Merlin) and co-publishes Birds of the World with AOS. A flagship strategic partner and the Premier Sponsor of AOS's 2026 Annual Meeting, but with a broader mandate spanning research, education, and conservation at significantly greater scale.
• National Audubon Society: A 120-year-old bird-focused conservation organization with significantly larger membership, policy advocacy, and habitat programs. Functions as a Silver Sponsor and partner of AOS; overlaps with AOS on bird conservation but operates as a much larger advocacy and member-engagement organization rather than a peer-reviewed scientific society.
• American Association for the Advancement of Science: The world's largest general scientific society, publisher of Science magazine. Comparable to AOS in its member-based scientific society and publishing model, but with substantially broader scope (all disciplines) and global reach, serving as an upper-bound benchmark for society scale and journal impact.

Regional players

• Linnean Society of London: A historic learned society focused on natural history and taxonomy, publishing the Biological Journal of the Linnean Society and Botanical Journal. Comparable to AOS in its scientific society publishing model and taxonomic authority role, but UK-based and broader in taxonomic scope than ornithology alone.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AmOrnith
• Facebookfacebook.com/AmOrnith
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-ornithological-society

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about American Ornithological Society