Alpine swifts spend almost their entire lives airborne, breeding in cliff colonies across southern Europe and facing welfare challenges from cold weather prey scarcity at altitude.
Alpine swifts face welfare challenges when cold mountain weather suppresses flying insects during the breeding season. Adult birds must range hundreds of kilometres to find adequate food during cold spells, and chicks enter torpor to conserve energy when parents cannot deliver food. Extended cold periods cause chick starvation and adult body condition deterioration. Colony disturbance or nest site loss during renovation causes breeding failure. Their remarkable aerial adaptations are matched by welfare vulnerability when the aerial food supply fails.