Offshore wind energy development is growing rapidly in seabird habitats, and the welfare implications of collision mortality and displacement require rigorous assessment and mitigation.
Individual seabirds killed in wind turbine collisions experience acute traumatic mortality — an instantaneous welfare harm, unlike the prolonged suffering of other human-caused mortality sources. Displacement from preferred feeding areas during construction or operation may cause reduced foraging efficiency and body condition decline over extended periods. The welfare scale of offshore wind impacts depends on site selection, turbine design, and mitigation measures — and must be assessed against the welfare benefits of reduced climate change impacts on the same seabirds.