Crippling rates of waterfowl by gunshot in Northwestern Europe: interspecific and geographic differences give clues to possible management challenges and options

Abstract Waterbird hunting is to be performed sustainably with respect to conservation status and animal welfare. Birds that are hit but not killed by shotgun pellets suffer what is called crippling. Here, we present data on crippling rates., i.e., the proportion of x-rayed birds with embedded shotgun pellets, of x-rayed individuals of nine waterfowl species in six European countries during 2017–2022. We x-rayed 3,843 individuals, of which 17% had been crippled. Logistic regression models showed that the risk of crippling varied between species, and increased with age, but not with individual body mass within species. On average, crippling rates increased with the average body mass of the species; the highest crippling rate was detected in bewick’s swans and greylag geese, with respectively 33% and 28% of individuals being crippled, and the lowest rate in Eurasian wigeons and brent geese, with respectively 5% and 4% being crippled. On average 19% of adult birds carried embedded pellets, versus 4% of first year birds. The higher crippling rates and embedded pellet numbers in adults than juveniles suggested cumulative exposure. Crippling rates of geese differed between countries and with population status, as exemplified by barnacle goose; 15% of wintering adults were crippled in The Netherlands versus 9% in Germany, and 15% of adults of winter migrants versus 21% of an intensively managed sedentary population in The Netherlands. The reported crippling rates are within the range of previously reported crippling rates of geese and swans, including high rates for bewick’s swan and barnacle goose that are protected in part of their range. The analysis identifies that crippling continues to be a conservation and animal welfare concern that can be tackled effectively via targeted management actions.