The spotted flycatcher is one of the UK's most beloved but rapidly declining summer visitors and its welfare depends on insect-rich habitats for its aerial foraging lifestyle.
Decline of aerial insect populations from agricultural intensification and pesticide use is the primary welfare driver, reducing food for adults and chicks. Loss of old trees and overgrown vegetation removes nesting sites. The long migration route to sub-Saharan Africa exposes birds to hunting pressure across the Mediterranean. Climate change is shifting insect emergence timing relative to the birds' arrival date.