Programs
Over its 40-year history, the ABA has continued to develop a range of initiatives and events.
The ABA encourages birding among young people by offering birding camps, sponsoring youth teams in birding competitions, providing scholarships to birding camps, and by running an annual ABA Young Birder of the Year Contest.
The organization promulgates a Code of Birding Ethics, guiding birders to protect birds, the environment, and the rights of others.
In addition to offering ABA apparel, the organization has partnered with for-profit companies to sell such things as identification and birdfinding guides, binoculars, and articles related to conservation like shade-grown coffee.
ABA is a partner with Birder's Exchange, a program whereby donated optics, field guides, and other materials are distributed to conservationists and educators in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The ABA offers conferences and conventions, smaller-scale birding rallies, tours, and workshops (through the ABA Institute for Field Ornithology) at various hotspots throughout the Americas. These are geared towards studying and enjoying birds, making new friends, and becoming a better birder. The IFO workshops, established with a goal of promoting cooperation between professional and amateur ornithologists, comprise a blend of classroom instruction and field study; each event is limited to 25 or fewer participants. Some offerings focus on a specific family of birds, while others are organized thematically around topics like migration or breeding ecology.
Read more about this topic: American Birding Association
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