The South Australian Ornithological Association (SAOA), also known as Birds SA, is an Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n birding organisation based in Adelaide

Adelaide

Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...

, South Australia

South Australia

South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...

. The SAOA publishes a journal, the South Australian Ornithologist

South Australian Ornithologist

The South Australian Ornithologist is the scientific journal of the South Australian Ornithological Association . The journal was first published in 1914 and is usually issued twice a year to members of the association....

as well as the Birds SA Newsletter. It holds regular monthly meetings and conducts field trips for members. The logo of the SAOA is the Chestnut-breasted Whiteface

Chestnut-breasted Whiteface

The Chestnut-breasted Whiteface is a species of bird in the Pardalotidae family.It is endemic to Australia and found primarily in northern South Australia.-Habitat:...

, a rare and localised species which is endemic to South Australia.

History

The SAOA was founded in Adelaide in 1899 and is the oldest birding association in Australasia

Australasia

Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...

, pre-dating the founding of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union

Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union

The Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union, also known as Birds 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 is also Australia's largest...

 by two years.

1960 schism

A period of uncertainty occurred in the Association in the late 1950s when issues relating to the taking of birds from the wild became a matter of concern to many members. This concern led ultimately to a split in the membership and the formation of the Adelaide Ornithologists which remains as a separate group in Adelaide although the original reason for the schism has long been forgotten. On one side were those who urged for greater legislative protection for rare avicultural species, such as parrot

Parrot

Parrots, also known as psittacines , are birds of the roughly 372 species in 86 genera that make up the order Psittaciformes, found in most tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three families: the Psittacidae , the Cacatuidae and the Strigopidae...

s and finches

Estrildid finch

The estrildid finches are small passerine birds of the Old World tropics and Australasia. They can be classified as the family Estrildidae , or as a sub-group within the family Passeridae, which also includes the true sparrows....

. On the other were people, including many aviculturists

Aviculture

Aviculture is the practice of keeping and breeding birds and the culture that forms around it. Aviculture is generally focused on not only the raising and breeding of birds, but also on preserving avian habitat, and public awareness campaigns....

, who felt threatened by a proposal they saw would bring greater control over their hobby - and for those in the avicultural trade, their livelihoods. Eventually, after three stacked meetings in which control of the Association swung between one side and the other, a poll of the membership reflected the mood for enhanced protection and the avicultural lobby was defeated. Consequently, some members broke away from the SAOA and formed the Adelaide Ornithologists Club

Adelaide Ornithologists Club

The Adelaide Ornithologists Club was founded by Alan Lendon, a leading surgeon and prominent aviculturist, in 1960, as a breakaway group from the South Australian Ornithological Association, with John Neil McGilp as its first President...

 in 1960.

Activities

The SAOA has over 500 members and holds monthly meetings at the Hawker Centre in the Waite Institute of the University of Adelaide. It also organises regular excursions to birding sites in South Australia and holds campouts at least twice a year. Many of Australia's leading ornithologists, including Richard Schodde

Richard Schodde

Richard Schodde, OAM is an Australian botanist and ornithologist.Schodde studied at the University of Adelaide where he received a BSc in 1960 and a PhD in 1970. During the 1960s he was a botanist with the CSIRO Division of Land Research and Regional Survey in Papua New Guinea...

, Leo Joseph and David Paton, started their careers with the SAOA and continue as important contributors to its work and interests.