Wigeons are grazing ducks that winter in large flocks on UK wetlands and coastal grasslands, with welfare linked to undisturbed feeding habitat and legal shooting pressure.
Wigeon welfare during UK winter depends on access to undisturbed short grassland and shallow wetlands for grazing. Large flocks are particularly vulnerable to disturbance as they use concentrated sites. Legal wildfowling causes wounding in addition to killing, with wounded birds dying slowly from injuries. Severe cold weather freezes grazing grassland and reduces available food, creating welfare pressure on large wintering flocks. WWT and RSPB reserves providing undisturbed feeding with no-shooting refuges support the welfare of large wigeon concentrations. The balance between wildfowl shooting and welfare conservation is an ongoing management challenge.