Welcome to the website of the International Owl Society (I.O.S).
The Society was founded over 20 years ago to found a world-wide forum for all of those interested in owls.
The objectives of the IOS are-:
- The advancement of husbandry of owls in captivity
- The improvement of breeding results of captive owl species
- To provide both financial and practical assistance in owl conservation and preservation
- To provide a forum for the dissemination of owl related information
- To encourage and assist in owl research programmes
- To engage with legislators on behalf and to represent the interests of those who exhibit display, keep and breed owls to our accepted standards
It might be implied from above that we only welcome those who keep and breed owls but it is stressed that we welcome membership from any individual, business or corporate body that has a genuine interest in furthering owl welfare and conservation.
That said, if you do keep or are interested in keeping owls you will have access to a wealth of information and advice on the husbandry and housing of these magnificent birds.
Our members include Scientists, those from the Zoological fraternity together with Wildlife Artists and Photographers but are principally members of the public who count themselves as “owl enthusiasts”.
As you will see from the “Conservation” section of the site the IOS has been and remains active in conservation projects and programmes across the globe. You might reasonably ask why the IOS has not been more active in UK owl conservation other than to run its own small nest box scheme. At the end of the day we are the International Owl Society, a small society with finite financial resources generated only from members’ subscriptions and donations and the field of owl conservation is well-covered by a number of larger organisations including the Wildlife Trusts and Bird of Prey specific bodies such as the Barn Owl Trust, The Hawk and Owl Trust, The Hawk Conservancy and Raptor Trust. Additionally we find that money spent overseas in less developed countries typically tends to go further.
The Society is administered by a Council which interested members are encouraged to join. All subscription monies other than printing and postage are used for the benefit of owls.
The Society publishes a House Magazine Tyto which is published six monthly and sent free to members. The June issuer is an “E” issue which is emailed, whilst the 56 page December issue is published in “hard-copy” and posted to subscribed members .
Membership costs a modest £20.00 per annum.
The Society endeavours to hold two meetings a year in Spring and Autumn, with Guest Speakers, to which all members are invited. These meetings are held at major avian and zoological venues and have in the past included Banham Zoo, Beale Park, Chester Zoo, Colchester Zoo, Cotswold Wildlife Park, Dudley Zoo, Eagle Heights Wildlife Foundation, The National Bird of Prey Centre, and The Raptor Foundation.
Society related goods such as lapel badges, wristbands and T-Shirts are normally available.
Interested in joining us? Then click here.