Atlantic puffins are charismatic seabirds whose cliff colony breeding success is increasingly disrupted by climate-driven shifts in prey fish availability. Colony monitoring reveals welfare challenges invisible to casual observers.
Puffin welfare challenges are primarily driven by the mismatch between colonial breeding requirements and changing ocean ecosystems. Chick starvation is a welfare concern that is difficult to detect — pufflings die unseen in underground burrows when parents cannot find adequate food. Adults making longer foraging trips experience greater energetic stress and increased predation risk. Rat predation at colony sites causes acute trauma and nest abandonment. The welfare of individual birds is closely tied to ecosystem health — sand eel population management, marine protected areas, and climate action collectively protect puffin welfare more effectively than direct intervention. Island rat eradication programs represent one of the most effective direct welfare and conservation interventions available.