Wildlife

Wild Wryneck Migration Welfare

Wrynecks are rare passage migrants in the UK with individual birds encountering welfare challenges during their journeys.

Key Facts

Wrynecks breed in mainland Europe and migrate through the UK in autumn
Individual birds appear in gardens and coastal areas on migration
They require ants as primary food and are specialised ant-eaters
Exhausted migrants remain in gardens for days before continuing
UK breeding populations became extinct in the 20th century

Welfare Considerations

Wryneck migrants that arrive exhausted and cannot find ant nests face energy depletion. Creating bare areas with ant colonies in coastal gardens provides critical refuelling habitat for passage migrants.

What You Can Do

Create bare sandy areas in coastal gardens to support ants for wrynecks
Report wryneck sightings to local ornithological groups
Support coastal garden habitats as migration refuelling stops