Wading Bird Recovery and Welfare

Wading birds including lapwing, curlew, snipe, golden plover and redshank have declined dramatically in UK farmland and upland habitats, requiring targeted conservation that supports both welfare and population recovery.

Key Facts

Lapwing populations have declined by approximately 60% in the UK since the 1980s due to agricultural intensification
Snipe and golden plover require wet grassland and upland habitats that have been lost through drainage and overgrazing
Breeding waders are sensitive to disturbance from livestock, dogs and recreational users during the April to July season
Predator management is controversial but is used by many wader conservation projects to protect nests and chicks
The RSPB and Wader Quest run conservation projects targeting multiple wader species simultaneously

Welfare Considerations

Wading bird welfare is inseparable from habitat condition. Birds in degraded, drained habitats with insufficient invertebrate food suffer nutritional stress and breeding failure. The availability of adequate invertebrate prey for feeding chicks — which depends on wet soil conditions with earthworms, crane fly larvae and other soft invertebrates — determines breeding success and individual welfare. Disturbance of breeding birds causes stress and egg chilling when adults are flushed from nests in cool conditions. Predation of eggs and chicks involves welfare harm to predator and prey alike. Conservation programmes that restore wet grassland and manage grazing carefully create the conditions for wading bird welfare at both individual and population level.

What You Can Do

Support RSPB and Wader Quest wader conservation at www.waderquest.org
Keep dogs on leads in areas with wading bird breeding signs between April and July
Advocate for Environmental Land Management payments for wet grassland creation and maintenance
Participate in wader monitoring schemes to contribute to population assessment
Engage with farmers managing wet grassland about the welfare value of their land for nesting waders