Dunlin are abundant waders whose welfare depends on the productivity of intertidal mudflats increasingly threatened by coastal squeeze and sea level rise.
Wintering dunlin on estuaries depend on access to productive intertidal mud during daily feeding windows constrained by tidal cycles. Habitat loss from coastal development and sea level rise reduces the area available for feeding, requiring birds to cover larger distances or feed in lower-quality habitats. During cold spells, estuary freezing can eliminate feeding opportunities entirely, causing starvation mortality within days. Climate change is simultaneously reducing upland breeding habitat and increasing the frequency of extreme winter weather events on estuaries.