Welfare of Shore Birds During Migration

Migratory shorebirds face a global welfare and conservation crisis from habitat loss along flyways.

Key Facts

Red knots rely on Delaware Bay horseshoe crab eggs for refueling during spring migration — populations have crashed
Shorebird stopover habitats are being lost at accelerating rates to development and climate change
Hunting along some flyways kills migratory shorebirds that are declining globally
Climate change is disrupting the timing of migration relative to food availability

Welfare Considerations

Migratory shorebirds undertake extraordinary journeys — some traveling from Arctic breeding grounds to South American wintering areas and back annually. Their welfare depends on a chain of adequate stopover habitats where they can rest and refuel. As these habitats are lost to development, coastal erosion, and sea level rise, birds arrive at next stops in compromised condition or die before reaching them. The welfare harm — exhaustion, starvation, and death during migration — is invisible because it occurs at sea or in remote habitats, but it affects millions of individuals.

What You Can Do

Support coastal habitat protection along major shorebird flyways
Advocate against development of key shorebird stopover and wintering sites
Reduce plastic waste that contaminates coastal shorebird foraging habitat
Support international flyway conservation agreements and their funding