Puffin welfare in their burrowing life on land is shaped by soil quality, predator pressure, and the extreme weather events increasingly associated with climate change.
Puffin burrowing welfare combines the physical welfare of underground nesting with the ecological welfare of foraging success at sea. A waterlogged burrow that chills a developing chick represents real welfare harm that can be prevented through vegetation management that maintains well-draining turf. Rat eradication - one of the most welfare-positive island conservation interventions available - prevents predation of eggs, chicks, and even small adults by this invasive predator. Climate change increasing storm frequency and intensity is creating new welfare challenges for burrowing seabirds that are only beginning to be understood and managed.