Wildlife

Welfare of Wild Birds During Extreme Cold Snaps

Sudden cold snaps and ice events cause mass mortality events in wild bird populations through starvation, hypothermia, and loss of foraging habitat.

Key Facts

The European cold snap of 2021 killed an estimated 12 million lapwings and golden plovers
Waterbirds are disproportionately affected when water bodies freeze, eliminating foraging habitat
Small passerines can lose lethal amounts of body weight overnight when food is unavailable at low temperatures
Emergency supplementary feeding by the public meaningfully reduces mortality during cold weather events
Providing fat-rich foods such as suet and sunflower seeds during cold snaps has documented survival benefits

Welfare Considerations

Extreme cold events compress the margin of survival for many wild bird species to a matter of hours. Small birds that cannot feed for one night may perish before dawn. Waterbirds that find all foraging habitat frozen face starvation despite being healthy and capable of survival in normal conditions. Garden feeding during cold snaps is one of the few direct welfare interventions available to individual people that has a proven, immediate impact on wild animal survival.

What You Can Do

Maintain a garden bird feeder with fat-rich foods during cold weather periods
Provide liquid water for birds when natural sources are frozen
Support organizations that monitor and respond to extreme weather bird mortality events
Advocate for landscape management that maintains foraging habitat for birds during cold snaps