Golden plovers breed on upland moorland and migrate to lowland agricultural fields in winter, with welfare challenges from habitat change, weather and disturbance.
Golden plover welfare during breeding is affected by weather severity, particularly cold wet springs that reduce invertebrate availability for chicks. Moorland management practices including burning regimes affect vegetation structure suitability. Winter welfare on agricultural grasslands depends on food availability in improved grasslands. Disturbance of wintering flocks by dogs and low-flying aircraft forces energetically costly relocations.