Seabird colonies face welfare threats from introduced predators, climate-driven prey scarcity, and human disturbance that affect breeding success and adult survival.
Seabird colony welfare operates at the intersection of individual animal welfare and population conservation. At the individual level, introduced predators cause direct suffering — killing adults and chicks — and chronic stress from predator presence reduces breeding success. Climate-driven scarcity of prey fish means adult birds must travel further to feed, increasing exhaustion and reducing the food available for chicks. For a puffin chick that dies of starvation, the individual welfare harm is real regardless of the population-level significance. Predator removal programmes on seabird islands are among the most effective interventions for both welfare and conservation.