Governance
The AOU is governed by a 12-member Council and four officers (President, President-Elect, Treasurer and Secretary), all elected by the membership. All administrative decisions are made by Council, except that Fellows must also approve changes to the Bylaws. Most ornithological activity of the AOU is conducted by committees.
Bylaws
The most recent published version of The Bylaws of the American Ornithologists' Union, as amended through 1989, appeared in The Auk 107(1,Suppl):1-7. However, a major revision of the Bylaws was given final approval by the Fellows at their meeting in August, 2003, and came into effect at the end of that Stated Meeting. The revision affects many aspects of the operation of the society. Another revision was approved by the Fellows in October 2006. The current bylaws, incorporating revisions approved through 2006, are available in PDF format:.