Nos Oiseaux

What Nos Oiseaux does

Nos Oiseaux is a Swiss non-profit membership association (Association Nos Oiseaux) founded in 1913 and headquartered in the Romandie region of French-speaking Switzerland. It serves amateur birdwatchers, hobbyist ornithologists, and a smaller subset of professional ornithologists through a quarterly print and digital ornithological revue (Nos Oiseaux), now in its 73rd volume with 563 issues published through March 2026. The association operates the Centrale ornithologique romande, which coordinates regional bird observation data collection, and integrates with ornitho.ch, the national Swiss bird observation platform, to surface real-time observations to members. Additional offerings include a youth program (Groupe des Jeunes/GdJ), a library of ornithological resources, a digital archive with full-text search spanning all back issues, and a small online boutique for books and birding products.

The business model is community-led and subscription-driven. Revenue is generated through individual membership dues (adhésions), quarterly revue subscriptions (abononnements) in both print and digital form, and modest product sales through the boutique. Pricing is not publicly disclosed on the website; enrollment is handled through a self-serve registration portal where new members select their canton of residence and create user profiles. Distribution is regional, with the print revue mailed via postal service to subscribers across Romandie and select neighboring French and Italian regions. The association is governed by an elected committee led by President Valère Martin, with operational roles distributed across a rédacteur, rédacteur adjoint, administration lead, subscriptions coordinator, and 12 elected committee members. The organization is funded solely through member contributions and product sales, with no disclosed external investment, grants, or institutional ownership.

The underlying technology is intentionally lightweight: a content management system supporting the website, a self-serve registration portal, a digital archive viewer, and a full-text search tool for back issues. There is no proprietary technology stack, no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, no mobile applications, and no API surface. Marketing and member acquisition occur through the website, the quarterly revue itself, direct email communications, and community events listed on the "Agenda des oiseaux" calendar. The organization has 8 employees and serves a niche, hyper-local customer base of an estimated long tail of individual hobbyists across Romandie, making Nos Oiseaux an enduring content-and-community institution rather than a technology-driven venture.

Name

Nos Oiseaux

Legal name

Association Nos Oiseaux

Website

https://nosoiseaux.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1913

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Nos Oiseaux is a Swiss non-profit association, founded in 1913, that publishes a quarterly ornithological revue and operates the Centrale ornithologique romande to serve birdwatchers, amateur ornithologists, and conservation-minded members across French-speaking Switzerland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ornithological Association Services

NAICS

Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (519)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarly Societies & Conference Proceedings Publishing (MPAJABAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Scholarly Society & Association Publishing (EDAGAFAK)

Keywords

• Ornithological association
• Ornithology magazine
• Bird conservation
• Nature publishing
• Wildlife observation

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues (Adhésion): Annual membership fees for individual members joining the Association Nos Oiseaux. Members receive access to the quarterly revue and other member benefits.
2. Magazine Subscriptions (Abonnements): Subscription-based revenue from the quarterly ornithological revue (Nos Oiseaux). The publication is available in printed and digital formats spanning from 1913 to present.
3. Product Sales: Sales through the Boutique section offering books, guides, and ornithological products in promotion.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Association Nos Oiseaux operates as a Swiss ornithological association that publishes a quarterly ornithological review (Nos Oiseaux) since 1913, currently in its 73rd volume. The association offers individual memberships giving access to the revue and regional bird observation coordination through the Centrale ornithologique Romande integrated with ornitho.ch. Supplementary offerings include the Groupe des Jeunes youth program, digital archives of past issues, a search tool across revue fascicles, and a boutique selling ornithological books and guides.

Product overview

Nos Oiseaux is an association publishing a quarterly ornithological magazine for Swiss bird enthusiasts. The portfolio consists of the core "Nos Oiseaux" Revue (the main magazine published since 1913, currently in its 73rd volume), supported by the association website offering member registration, publication archives, and the Centrale Ornithologique Romande for regional bird observation coordination. Additional offerings include the Groupe des Jeunes (young birders group) and historical archives spanning over 110 years of publications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Revue Nos Oiseaux (Quarterly Ornithological Magazine) A quarterly ornithological magazine covering Swiss and Romandie bird observations, research, and conservation, published continuously since 1913 and currently in Volume 73. Targeted at individual bird enthusiasts, amateur birdwatchers, and professional ornithologists in French-speaking Switzerland.
• Nos Oiseaux Association Membership Annual membership providing individuals access to the quarterly revue, member benefits, regional bird observation coordination, and community engagement. For individual bird enthusiasts and amateur ornithologists in Romandie.
• Centrale Ornithologique Romande The Romandie Ornithological Center operated by the association, coordinating bird observation data collection and distribution across French-speaking Switzerland, integrated with ornitho.ch.
• Boutique Nos Oiseaux (Books and Ornithological Products) An online shop (Boutique) selling books, guides, and ornithological products including titles listed under "Livres en promotion". Available to individual bird enthusiasts and the general public.
• Groupe des Jeunes (Youth Birders Group) A youth program (Groupe des Jeunes / GdJ) engaging younger bird enthusiasts with ornithological activities, education, and community events in the Romandie region.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Natagora: Belgian francophone nature-conservation organization serving the French-speaking community — directly comparable to Nos Oiseaux in serving a linguistic sub-region with bird and biodiversity focus.
• Vogelbescherming Nederland: Dutch bird-protection association running membership, magazine, and advocacy programs. Similar model to Nos Oiseaux but operating in a different European linguistic market.
• NABU (Naturschutzbund Deutschland): Germany's largest nature and bird conservation association with membership and magazine operations. Closest large-scale analog to Nos Oiseaux in a neighboring German-speaking market.

Direct peers

• Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux (LPO): France's leading bird-protection membership association, publishing magazines and coordinating observation networks. Closely analogous model (membership + revue + regional branches) to Nos Oiseaux but operating at national scale in France.
• British Trust for Ornithology (BTO): UK-based ornithological charity focused on bird monitoring and citizen science. Comparable to Nos Oiseaux in its emphasis on observation data collection, research publishing, and volunteer-driven monitoring programs.
• Schweizerische Vogelwarte Sempach: The Swiss Ornithological Institute is the national counterpart to Nos Oiseaux, focused on bird research and conservation across all of Switzerland. It is the most directly comparable peer in the same country and category, though it operates at national rather than regional scale.
• American Birding Association: US membership association for recreational birders that publishes a magazine and hosts events. Mirrors Nos Oiseaux' hobbyist-focused, magazine-driven community model rather than the conservation-research model.

Broad incumbents

• National Audubon Society: Major US bird-conservation organization with membership, magazine, and citizen-science programs (including the Christmas Bird Count). Comparable in combining membership dues, magazine publishing, and volunteer-driven observation programs.
• Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB): The UK's largest bird conservation charity and a global benchmark for membership-based ornithological organizations. Comparable business model (membership dues, magazine, reserves, advocacy) but at much greater scale and brand recognition.
• BirdLife International: Global umbrella partnership of national bird-conservation organizations, of which many national societies (including Swiss partners) are members. Represents the federated network model that Nos Oiseaux operates within at the regional level.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nos-oiseaux

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

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 Nos Oiseaux