Birds Houston FAQ

We recognize that, for millions of people around the world, “Audubon” is synonymous with a century-long legacy of protecting birds and the habitats they need to thrive. We are proud to be a part of this community and this history.

We also recognize that the Audubon name is only recognized by those who are already aware of our work. It is not at all recognized or associated with birds by those who we don’t currently reach, including many people who are interested in learning more about the birds they see in their neighborhoods and are passionate about creating a more sustainable world.

We want to continue to build on the history of successful bird conservation started by the Audubon community by making it easier for more people to be a part of this movement. The more people who join our cause to help save birds, the better, so our new name is our invitation: If you care about birds in the Houston region, please join us.

Yes! You may know us as Houston Audubon. Our organization has led efforts to protect many of the important habitats in this region while helping generations of residents connect with nature. We want to include more people in that work, so we chose to adopt a new name to help folks more easily understand what it is we do and why we do it.

We are operating under a “Doing Business As/DBA” designation as Birds Houston while our legal name remains The Houston Audubon Society. This means that any contracted partnerships, legal agreements, or donation bequests made to The Houston Audubon Society/Houston Audubon will be honored through our renaming.

Our rebrand journey began in 2024 with an assessment of our identity as Houston Audubon. While that assessment was initiated by a national conversation around the complicated legacy of John James Audubon, it quickly became apparent that the Audubon name was not at all associated with bird conservation beyond those who were already familiar with our work. As a result, our Board of Directors unanimously approved the decision to develop a new brand identity that clarified our mission and more easily allows audiences to understand our work.

For much of 2025-2026, a small committee of our board and staff leadership worked with an outside consulting firm to evaluate name options and consider how our brand identity supports strategic growth. In the summer of 2026, our board formally approved that committee’s recommendation to rebrand as Birds Houston.

Our logo depicts the Yellow-throated Warbler, a striking songbird that passes through our region and an important part of our organization’s history.

One of our earliest projects was preventing the destruction of the species’ habitat by construction of the proposed Wallisville Dam in the 1970s. Since that time, we have adopted the species as our symbol and our visual identity.

As we developed our new identity, we felt this was the most appropriate way to continue honoring the volunteers, advocates, and supporters who have contributed to our organization’s successes over the past 55+ years.

It’s true that we serve a region much larger than the City of Houston itself. In fact, many of our nature sanctuaries are located outside of the city. But we didn’t want our name to confuse anyone, and we realized that when we introduce ourselves personally—those of us who live throughout this area—we most often say we’re from Houston.

We remain the official chapter of the National Audubon Society for the greater Houston metropolitan area. We are an independent non-profit, but we partner and collaborate frequently with the National Audubon Society, Texas Audubon, and other local chapters.

The counties we serve include Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, Waller, Washington, and Wharton.

While Audubon made remarkable contributions to our understanding of birds and the natural world—and in doing so, inspired generations to advocate for greater protections for the avian world—we also know that he was a slave owner, that he denounced the abolition of slavery, and that he held white supremacist views.

National Audubon Society has published a thorough study of his legacy to help explain this important topic further: https://www.audubon.org/news/the-myth-john-james-audubon

Our rebranding is part of our intentional decision to clarify our mission and purpose to those who appreciate and find inspiration in birds but who are not familiar with the Audubon movement.

We are not trying to erase any history. We are still the organization that has protected globally renowned bird habitat on the Texas Coast, the same organization that has helped enact protections to make Houston a more bird-friendly city, and the same organization that has been helping people discover a love of birds for over 55 years.

The Board of Directors worked through the process of deciding the name change and you can read their letters here:
Organizational Name Review Statement of Status - April 2023
Name Change Rationale - September 18, 2024