Clubs and Societies

The Budgerigar Club was formed in 2021 in response to the increased interest in pet budgerigars and to encourage people to take an interest in budgerigars. It also provides a pathway from pet ownership through to breeding and exhibiting, should people wish to take up the challenge.

The Budgerigar Society is the parent body for exhibition budgerigars in the UK.

The history of the Budgerigar Society (BS) has been eventful since that initial set up in 1925. The BS now has a membership of more than 2,000 with an office, a full time secretary/treasurer to deal with all daily queries, membership, correspondence, minutes of meetings, ring orders, for taking show entries for the World Championship show staged at the Doncaster Dome every year and many other tasks too numerous to mention.

Over the years, the Society has been based at several locations. Today, the Society owned headquarters are in Spring Gardens, Northampton and part of those premises are let to a tenant who occupies the first floor, while the ground floor meeting room is available for Society meetings. The BS administration is currently located at an office in Tayport, Fife.

The first of the Area Societies, Western Counties BS, was formed in 1928. Today there are a total of 10. Details of these and contact information can be seen at – https://www.budgerigarsociety.com/area-specialist-societies/

The first club show was held in 1926 in conjunction with the National, only nine classes were available, and 100 birds were benched. By comparison with today’s Club Show in Doncaster where there are some 730 classes with an entry of 2,000+. This is held annually in September.

The General Council manages the affairs of The Budgerigar Society and consists of not more than fourteen members elected by a postal ballot of The Society’s membership and the election for General Council members takes place every three years.

They meet several times a year either face to face or via zoom and elect from its members, the Chairman and Vice Chairman of The Society plus other officers and members for committees.

Minutes of all its meetings are fully recorded and a summarised report published in The Society’s magazine – ‘The Budgerigar’ and on the Society web site and other social media sites.

Throughout the UK there are many local clubs and societies that cater for all aspects of the bird fancy including budgerigars. A list of these including contact information can be found here – https://www.budgerigarsociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/NCA-Affiliated-Societies-Addresses-for-2019.pdf

This organisation is the umbrella organisation for all cage bird enthusiasts catering for the British, Budgerigar, Canary and Foreign Bird Fancies.

Its objectives are to promote the welfare, study, breeding, development and exhibition of birds within a managed environment. To represent the hobby of aviculture within the U.K. To liaise with Government Departments in forming legislation relating to all aspects of aviculture. To promote and protect the interest of breeders and exhibitors. To stimulate and encourage greater public interest in the objectives of the NCA. To assist the progress of scientific knowledge. To promote education and awareness of aviculture. To serve as a parent body in a closely knit affiliation of like-minded groups. To establish common codes of conduct within aviculture. To facilitate the exchange of research information. To reward work of outstanding merit with awards or other marks of recognition.

See www.nca.uk.net

There are just three of these societies in the UK today and they cater for the so-called specialist varieties of budgerigar. Details of these can be found here – https://www.budgerigarsociety.com/area-specialist-societies/

The aims of the WBO are laid down in its Constitution and can be summarised as:

• To bring together representatives of member countries.
• To serve as a unified international advisory organisation in promoting common standards for the budgerigar fancy throughout the world.
• To support and encourage the free movement of budgerigar breeders and budgerigars across international borders in order to improve the breeding, exhibiting and judging of budgerigars.
• To assist in the protection of the interests of members of the organisation.
• To assist in the progress of scientific knowledge by the accumulation of data and literature and the distribution thereof amongst members of the organisation.
• To reward any work of outstanding merit with prizes or other marks of recognition.

See www.world-budgerigar.org