Wild Birds

Bewick Swan Welfare and Catastrophic Decline

The Bewick swan is the smallest wild swan wintering in Britain and has experienced one of the most alarming declines of any large waterbird, with numbers dropping by over 40% in recent decades.

Key Facts

Bewick swans winter at WWT Slimbridge and other key UK wetlands after breeding in the Russian tundra
UK wintering numbers have fallen from around 7,000 in the early 1990s to under 4,000 by the 2020s
Individual Bewick swans are identifiable by unique bill patterns, allowing decades of individual tracking at Slimbridge
The species is named after Thomas Bewick, the celebrated naturalist and engraver
Causes of decline include habitat loss on staging grounds, hunting in some range states, and climate change effects

Welfare Considerations

Bewick swan welfare is threatened across a vast flyway stretching from Russia to Britain. Shooting pressure in some eastern European countries kills birds on migration. Degradation of key staging wetlands along the Baltic and North Sea coasts reduces the refuelling opportunities needed to complete the journey. Climate-driven tundra changes may be altering breeding success. The species long individual lifespan means each mortality has a disproportionate population impact.

What You Can Do

Visit WWT Slimbridge or Martin Mere to contribute to individual swan identification monitoring
Support WWT Swan Migration Research programs tracking decline causes
Advocate for EU and international protection of key Bewick swan migration staging sites
Back campaigns to end hunting of swans and geese in countries along the flyway
Donate to WWT conservation programs addressing Bewick swan population collapse