Regional Groups
The RAOU / Birds Australia has several Regional Groups that cater for members based in particular geographic regions of Australia, as well as looking at the bird conservation challenges of those regions. These are:

Birds Australia Capricornia (BAC)
Birds Australia North Queensland (BANQ)
Birds Australia Northern NSW (BANN)
Birds Australia Southern NSW & ACT (BASNA)
Birds Australia Southern Queensland (BASQ)
Birds Australia Victoria (BA-VIC)
Birds Australia Western Australia (BAWA)
Birds Tasmania (BA-TAS)

Special Interest Groups
The RAOU / Birds Australia has four Special Interest Groups that focus attention on particular groups of birds that have special study and conservation needs. These are:

Australasian Raptor Association (ARA) - birds of prey, including eagles, falcons, hawks and owls
Australasian Seabird Group (ASG) - seabirds, including albatrosses, petrels, penguins, gulls and terns
Australasian Wader Studies Group (AWSG) - waders or shorebirds
Birds Australia Parrot Association (BAPA) - parrots, including cockatoos and lorikeets

Bird Observatories
Four Bird Observatories were established by the RAOU in order to provide accommodation and act as bases for research, education and recreation, in areas of particular interest and bird richness. Two of these, Barren Grounds Bird Observatory in NSW, and Rotamah Island Bird Observatory in Victoria, have since been closed for economic reasons. The two remaining observatories, both in Western Australia, are:

Broome Bird Observatory (BBO)
Eyre Bird Observatory (EBO)

Reserves
The RAOU has established two reserves, through the purchase of large pastoral leases, in order to protect extensive areas of important bird habitat. They are:

Gluepot Reserve
Newhaven Reserve

Honours and Awards
The RAOU has always recognised service to the organisation and to ornithology through the granting of the title of Fellow of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union (FRAOU) to a small and limited number of individuals. It also recognises excellence in contributions to ornithological knowledge through annual awards: the D.L. Serventy Medal for outstanding published work on birds in the Australasian region, and the John Hobbs Medal for major contributions to amateur ornithology.