Migratory Bird Welfare: Threats Along Flyways

Migratory birds travel thousands of kilometres along established flyways, facing threats at every stage of their journey. Protecting stopover habitats and reducing human hazards are critical for migratory bird welfare.

Key Facts

An estimated 40% of the world's bird species are migratory, traversing multiple countries and ecosystems
Migratory songbirds can fly continuously for 60+ hours over open water, arriving exhausted and vulnerable
Up to 1 billion birds are killed annually by window strikes in North America alone
Artificial light at night disorients nocturnal migrants, causing exhaustion, collision, and predation
Wetland drainage along key flyways — including the Yellow Sea in East Asia — has devastated shorebird populations
Illegal hunting of migratory birds persists across Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flyway bottlenecks
Climate change is shifting timing of migration and food availability, creating mismatches with peak resource availability

Welfare Considerations

Migratory birds face a cascade of welfare harms across their annual journeys: window collisions, light pollution disorientation, illegal hunting, habitat loss at stopover sites, and climate-driven resource mismatch. Each threat is geographically diffuse but individually severe — window strike injuries are traumatic, and exhausted migrants arriving at degraded stopovers face starvation. The international nature of migration means welfare interventions must operate across jurisdictions. Individual, community, and policy-level actions all contribute meaningfully to flyway welfare.

What You Can Do

Apply bird-safe window treatments (frosted film, external screens, UV-reflective tape patterns) to prevent strikes
Turn off unnecessary lights during peak migration periods — spring and autumn night migration is peak risk
Support wetland conservation and restoration along key migratory flyways
Oppose illegal bird trapping and advocate for enforcement of international migratory bird protection
Maintain native plant gardens to provide food and shelter for migratory birds at stopover sites
Participate in citizen science migration monitoring programmes like eBird to contribute to conservation data