Wildlife

Wild Arctic Tern Welfare and Climate

Arctic terns make the longest migration of any animal and face welfare challenges from climate change affecting prey at both breeding and wintering grounds.

Key Facts

Arctic terns migrate from Arctic breeding grounds to Antarctic wintering areas - over 70,000km annually
UK breeding colonies in Scotland and Farne Islands depend on sand eel prey for chick survival
Warming seas have shifted sand eel distributions, reducing chick survival in some years
Colony disturbance causes mass panic and chick trampling in dense nesting aggregations
Climate change affects both Arctic and Antarctic ecosystems used by migrating terns

Welfare Considerations

Arctic tern welfare spans the entire planet, with climate change affecting every phase of their extraordinary lifecycle. Chick starvation from sand eel shifts causes direct welfare suffering. The global nature of their welfare threats requires global climate action alongside local colony protection.

What You Can Do

Support Arctic tern colony wardening programmes in Scotland and northeast England
Advocate for climate action as an animal welfare priority affecting global migrant species
Contribute to seabird monitoring recording Arctic tern breeding success and population trends