Welfare of Migratory Shorebirds at Refuelling Stopover Sites

Migratory shorebirds making hemispheric journeys depend on a small number of high-density refuelling stopover sites, where welfare disruption can affect entire flyway populations.

Key Facts

Red knots migrate over 30,000 kilometres annually between Arctic breeding grounds and southern hemisphere wintering areas
Delaware Bay in the US is a critical stopover where red knots depend on horseshoe crab eggs for refuelling; egg availability has declined dramatically
Disturbance from beachgoers, dogs, and vehicles at stopover sites prevents foraging and increases energy expenditure
Horseshoe crab harvesting for medical biomedical use depletes the food resource critical for red knot refuelling in North America
Intertidal habitat loss from coastal development has eliminated stopover sites along major flyways in East Asia
Environmental DNA monitoring at stopover sites allows non-invasive population monitoring without disturbance

Welfare Considerations

Migratory shorebird welfare at stopover sites illustrates how individual welfare and population conservation converge. A bird that cannot refuel adequately at a stopover site arrives at its breeding ground too depleted to breed successfully, linking stopover welfare to flyway-wide population viability. Disturbance that prevents foraging at critical stopover sites therefore causes individual welfare harm that ripples into population-level reproductive failure. Protecting the small number of truly critical stopover sites through access management, habitat restoration, and food resource protection is among the highest-impact shorebird welfare investments available.

What You Can Do

Maintain 200-metre buffer distances from shorebird flocks at coastal stopover sites
Keep dogs on leads in areas adjacent to high-density shorebird foraging sites
Support Delaware Bay and equivalent site protection organisations that manage disturbance
Advocate for horseshoe crab harvest restrictions during shorebird migration peaks
Learn about migratory shorebirds in your coastal region and the threats they face along their flyways