Robert Patterson (1863–1931) was an Irish naturalist.
Robert Patterson was interested in every branch of natural history but mainly birds.
He was a member of the Belfast Natural History and Philosophical Society and the Belfast Naturalists' Field Club and a founder of the Ulster Fisheries and Marine Biology Association.
He also founded the People's Palace, or Patterson Museum, in Belfast which opened in 1904.
This was a natural history (mainly birds) and archaeological museum intended for the free instruction of the people.