Ospreys were extinct as British breeding birds for over 50 years before natural recolonisation and reintroduction restored populations. Their story offers welfare and conservation lessons.
Recovering osprey populations face welfare challenges from illegal persecution, collision with power lines, and mortality during migration at sites where hunting or trapping still occurs. Nest protection schemes during breeding prevent disturbance that can cause nest failure and chick mortality. Migration mortality at traditional stopover sites in parts of Europe and Africa remains a concern that cannot be addressed through domestic conservation alone.