Wheatear Welfare: Upland and Coastal Migration

Key Welfare Considerations

• Wheatears migrate from sub-Saharan Africa to breed in upland areas across the UK from March onwards.
• Some wheatears travel to Greenland and Alaska — making their welfare migration one of the longest of any small passerine.
• Upland grassland with short turf, stones, and rabbit burrows provides breeding welfare habitat.
• Wheatears nest in rabbit burrows, stone walls, and rock crevices — these features are welfare habitat essentials.
• Short-grazed grassland provides the insect prey welfare required for breeding success.
• Welfare challenges during Saharan crossing include dehydration, exhaustion, and prey availability.
• Climate change is affecting wheatear arrival timing — welfare mismatch with insect emergence is emerging.
• Coastal migration stops provide welfare refuelling opportunities — headlands and coastal scrub are important.
• Wheatear welfare declines in upland UK reflect loss of rabbit grazing maintaining short turf.
• Rabbit population crashes from VHD and myxomatosis have reduced upland wheatear welfare habitat.
• Livestock grazing maintaining short upland sward provides welfare habitat for wheatears.
• Upland rewilding through reduced livestock grazing may negatively affect wheatear welfare.
• Wheatear welfare monitoring provides data on upland ecosystem health and migration success rates.
• Garden migrants during spring and autumn can be supported with insect-rich habitat for welfare.
• Wheatear welfare reflects the health of the Afro-Palearctic migratory flyway used by millions of birds.