The British Ornithologists' Union

The promotion of the science of ornithology.

In the charity's own words, from the register.

Elsewhere

• Throughout England and Wales
• Scotland

Area of benefit in its governing document: Not Defined

The places the charity told the Commission it works in.

In the year ending 31 December 2025, it had income of £219,507 and spent £281,983.

Figures as the charity reported them to the Charity Commission. Staff and volunteer numbers are only asked of charities with income over £10,000. A year with no row was not reported.

Separate measures from the charity's own returns and accounts, each with its year. Read them together: no single measure says how well a charity is run.

Income over time

Up 20%, from £182,527 in the year to 31 December 2021 to £219,507 in the year to 31 December 2025.

Spending against income

It spent 128% of its income in the year to 31 December 2025. It spent more than its income in 4 of the 5 years shown.

From the annual returns the charity filed with the Charity Commission. The largest funder comes from its accounts, read by AI.

Government grants in the year ending 31 December 2025: Not reported. Government contracts: Not reported.

From the charity's annual return to the Charity Commission, which asks every charity with income over £10,000 how much came from government grants and contracts. It does not say which part of government. These totals are separate from the named funders read from its accounts and the grants published on 360Giving, and are not added to them.

No grants to this charity appear in 360Giving data.

Only funders that publish their grants to 360Giving are included, and many do not. These are amounts funders awarded, which can differ from what the charity received in a given year, so they are shown apart from the accounts figures above.

14 trustees run the charity.

• Dr Graeme BuchananChairAppointed 5 April 2023
• Dr Alexander LeesAppointed 5 April 2023
• Dr Catharine HorswillAppointed 13 April 2022
• Dr Catriona MorrisonAppointed 5 April 2023
• Dr Hugh Lewis WrightAppointed 2 April 2025
• Dr Lynda DonaldsonAppointed 5 April 2025
• Dr Mark Alexander EatonAppointed 31 March 2021
• Dr Mark James EddowesAppointed 13 April 2022
• Dr Natalia Barbara ZielonkaAppointed 5 April 2025
• Dr Rosamund Mary Whipple GreenAppointed 2 April 2025
• Dr Stuart SharpAppointed 5 April 2023
• Dr Tom Bradfer-LawrenceAppointed 2 April 2025
• Professor Arjun Dev Amar

Of the last 5 annual returns that were due, 5 arrived by the deadline.

Charities with income over £10,000 send an annual return within 10 months of their year end, and those over £25,000 also send their accounts. Smaller charities only update their income and spending on the register. The dates are when the Commission received each document.

Charity number

249877

Status

Registered

Registered with the Commission

9 December 1966

Governing document

DECLARATION OF TRUST DATED 1 MAY 1951; RULES DATED 18 MARCH 1953 AMENDED 18 APRIL 1964, 17 APRIL 1993, 20 APRIL 1996, 29 MARCH 1999 AND 7 APRIL 2010. as amended on 15 Jul 2020

Website

www.bou.org.ukAs the charity gave it on the register.

Council area of its contact address

Pembrokeshire

• Register details, income, spending, trustees and filing dates: Charity Commission for England and Wales, register of charities. Loaded by OpenEconomy on 18 April 2026.
• Grants awarded: 360Giving open grants data, from funders that publish there, as loaded by OpenEconomy.

• Search for charity 249877 on the Charity Commission register
• 360Giving open grants data
• This charity on OpenEconomy

• OpenCouncil: Pembrokeshire Council's meetings and decisions
• OpenEconomy: Pembrokeshire's economy in figures
• OpenSenedd: the Members of the Senedd for Ceredigion Penfro