SLOBODAN KULIC was born in Leskovac, Serbia (Ex Yugoslavia) where he finished elementary school and advanced secondary school. He graduated from the Faculty of Law in Nis. He is married and is also a father of four children.
He gained his first knowledge of birds of nature from his grandfather Nikola, who was a great bird and nature lover. His first pet birds, a green and blue budgerigar acquired in Italy, were given to him for the sixth birthday, which was an attraction of that time in Yugoslavia.
Since then, birds have been an integral part of his life to this day. Early on, he began reading ornithological literature, starting with the unmissable work of Brehm’s “Life of Animals”, and followed the occurrences related to birds in nature. His first ornithological records and works date from elementary school, and in advanced secondary school, he became an active member of the biology club.
While working with birds from his surroundings, he began “dreaming” about exotic birds as well. For him as a breeder, this “dream” was realized only in 1978, but it is still “dreamt” and being realized even today.
He officially began studying exhibition birds during higher education, and since January 1, 1980, he became a member of the Society for the Protection and Breeding of Birds “Gaj” in Nis. Soon he became a regular participant and winner of the highest awards (cups, medals, diplomas, etc.) at bird exhibitions of different ranks.
Parallel to breeding, his professional work began as well. With an internships for a judge-bird assessor, he began writing articles for various newsletters, magazines, etc. He has published over 90 articles in the most popular magazine of the time in Serbia, “Zov”, but also in other magazines over 100 more with similar themes: “Dobro jutro” – “Good morning”, ”Selo” – “The village“, “Ptice u avikulturi” – “Birds in aviculture”, and daily newspapers “Politika” – “Politics”, “Vecernje novosti“ –”Evening News”, “Nasa rec” – “Our Word” etc. He then published many texts and articles scientific and research papers in ornithological journals, Serbian “Ciconia”, and Slovenian “Acrocephalus,” etc. The crown of this work is the appointment as the editor of the “Avi fauna” newsletter of the judicial organization of SOF in 1999. So far, he has written 9 books, translations and brochures, 12 scientific papers and several hundred papers in the field of aviculture and ornithology. He is a constant participant in all experts seminars in aviculture in Serbia and surrounding countries. His book, “Standardi za ocenjivanje ptica” – “Standards for bird judging” with 724 pages, which had two editions, is very well regarded not only in Serbia but also in the environment and in the world.
As a judge, he will be remembered by the precedent where, in 1989, on the one day, by the proposal of the Executive Committee led by the President of OMJ Karl Schweizer, due to the demonstration of a high level of knowledge, he became a federal and international OMJ judge – an OMJ Judge Expert for Exotic Birds. He is for almost 20 years been the bearer of an Gold badge OMJ Judge’s.
He has assessed at 10 world championships – northern and southern hemispheres, at all national championships in Serbia and at numerous national championships and exhibitions in Croatia, Macedonia, Hungary, Greece and Turkey.
From 1990 to 2003, he was first the Secretary, and more than ten years the President of the Judges’ Organization of SOF, and afterwards the President of the Serbian Ornithological Federation for 12 years.
Moreover, on the international ornithological and avicultural scene he is well known. He is a member of expert teams of OMJ for exotic birds (domesticated and undomesticated), for exotic pigeons, turtle doves, little diamante doves and fruit doves and exotic quails and partridges.
At the Congress of COM held within the World Ornithological Championship in Matosinhos, Portugal, in 2016, he was elected Vice-President of the World Ornithological Confederation.
He is currently working on completing several books in the field of the aviculture of exotic birds.
A true friend and associate,
Ljubisa Grujic – Benda
