Migratory shorebirds depend on a network of roost sites along their flyways. The loss or disturbance of these critical rest stops has population-wide welfare and conservation consequences.
Disturbance at roost sites causes welfare harm through forced energy expenditure at precisely the wrong time. Shorebirds at roost sites are resting and building fat reserves for migrations. Each disturbance event that flushes birds from roost forces energy expenditure that cannot be fully replaced. For birds already at energy limits before long-distance non-stop flights, cumulative disturbance events directly threaten survival. Population-scale welfare is at stake: the loss of staging sites in the Yellow Sea has contributed to dramatic population declines in several migratory shorebird species, representing welfare harm at a scale difficult to quantify. Protecting roost sites from disturbance is among the highest-priority welfare and conservation interventions for migratory shorebirds.