Stopover habitats for migratory birds are critical welfare resources — their loss forces birds to migrate without adequate refueling.
Migratory birds attempting trans-oceanic crossings without adequate fat reserves face exhaustion and death mid-flight — a welfare harm that is invisible but real. The progressive loss of stopover habitats along major flyways is reducing the ability of millions of individual birds to complete their migrations successfully. Protecting and restoring stopover habitats is one of the most direct welfare interventions available for migratory species.