Wildlife

Wild Puffin Climate and Food Supply

How climate change is affecting puffin food supply, breeding success, and welfare through impacts on sand eel populations.

Key Facts

UK puffin colonies have declined significantly at some sites due to food shortages
Sand eels form the primary diet of puffin chicks and are highly temperature sensitive
Warmer seas are reducing sand eel availability in areas around major puffin colonies
Skomer Island colony has remained stable while Shetland colonies have declined sharply
Climate change projections suggest continued disruption to puffin food supply

Welfare Considerations

Puffin chicks starving due to climate-driven food shortages represent preventable suffering on a large scale. Adult puffins making exhausting fishing trips unable to feed their chicks experience chronic stress and reproductive failure.

What You Can Do

Support marine conservation organizations working on climate change impacts on seabirds
Advocate for sand eel fishing restrictions to protect puffin food supplies
Monitor and report puffin colony health data to support conservation planning