European bee-eaters are appearing increasingly in the UK as a breeding species driven by climate-related range expansion, raising welfare and conservation questions.
Bee-eaters pioneering new breeding range in the UK face unfamiliar predation pressure, limited suitable nesting habitat, and potential food supply challenges. Nest site disturbance by birdwatchers at rare breeding sites causes adults to abandon eggs and chicks. Successful breeding requires protection from disturbance during the incubation and chick-rearing period. The welfare of pioneering individuals is individually vulnerable even as range expansion reflects good population health to the south.