Ospreys undertake remarkable long-distance migrations between breeding and wintering grounds, with survival depending on intact habitat at both ends and along migratory routes.
Osprey welfare across the annual cycle reflects the integrity of an entire network of habitats. Breeding success depends on clean, fish-rich lakes and rivers in temperate zones; wintering survival requires equivalent freshwater resources in tropical regions; migration success depends on intact stopover sites where birds can rest and refuel. Welfare threats along any part of this chain affect population-level outcomes. Tropical habitat loss — particularly wetland drainage for agriculture — reduces wintering survival rates that feed back into breeding population trends. Individual osprey welfare during migration involves the challenge of long overwater crossings, which are energetically costly and potentially fatal in adverse weather. Stopover protection and illegal shooting reductions at Mediterranean bottlenecks like Gibraltar improve survival rates.