Wild Migratory Shorebird Conservation and Welfare

Migratory shorebirds undertake some of the longest journeys in the animal kingdom. Habitat loss at stopover sites, climate change, and hunting along flyways threaten populations and cause significant individual suffering.

Key Facts

Bar-tailed godwits fly up to 12,000 km non-stop from Alaska to New Zealand
Shorebird populations have declined by 70% in North America since the 1970s
Key stopover sites in the Yellow Sea have lost 65% of intertidal habitat since 1950
Migratory shorebirds may lose 40-50% of their body weight during long-distance flights
Climate change is advancing snowmelt dates, disrupting timing with insect emergence at breeding grounds
Legal hunting of migratory shorebirds continues in parts of Europe, Asia, and the Americas

Welfare Considerations

Individual shorebirds endure extreme physiological stress during migration: organs shrink before flight and regrow after landing, muscles are catabolized for fuel, and immune function is suppressed. Arriving at a degraded stopover site after weeks of flight, only to find reduced food resources, can be fatal. The welfare implications of this suffering at massive scale — across billions of birds — are profound. Protecting key stopover sites is among the most cost-effective welfare interventions in the wild. Reducing hunting pressure along flyways directly reduces preventable suffering and death.

What You Can Do

Support conservation of intertidal habitats in the Yellow Sea, a globally critical shorebird stopover
Donate to Birdlife International and similar organizations working across migratory flyways
Advocate for stronger protections against shorebird hunting in countries along major flyways
Reduce your carbon footprint to slow climate disruption of migration timing