Cities support surprisingly rich bird communities. Urban wildlife management practices significantly affect the welfare of swifts, sparrows, starlings and other urban species.
Urban birds experience novel welfare challenges from human infrastructure, introduced predators and habitat modification. Cats kill an estimated 55 million birds annually in the UK, with garden birds particularly vulnerable. Window strikes kill millions more. Renovation of historic buildings without nest surveys destroys active nest sites of protected species including house martins, starlings and swifts. Simple infrastructure choices - swift bricks, house sparrow terraces, window decals - create welfare benefits for individual birds while supporting urban biodiversity.