Seabirds face diverse anthropogenic threats including plastic ingestion and light pollution disorienting fledglings. Both causes of mortality are preventable with individual and policy action.
Seabird welfare from plastic pollution involves both acute and chronic harm. Chicks fed plastic by parents experience prolonged starvation with distended stomachs full of indigestible material. Adult birds with heavy plastic loads experience reduced foraging efficiency, nutritional deficiency, and potential toxic exposure from plastic-associated chemicals. Light pollution welfare harm is acute — disoriented fledglings crash into buildings, streets, and cars, suffering traumatic injuries. Annual fledgling rescue events where thousands of birds are collected and released at sea prevent many deaths. Predator eradication from seabird colonies, when welfare management is appropriate, prevents catastrophic breeding failure that would cause widespread chick starvation.