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Regurgitated Bird Pellets as Tools to Assess Microplastics in the Environment
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Scientists studied leftover food pellets coughed up by birds like owls and falcons in both rural and city areas, and found tiny plastic bits (microplastics) in about 1 in 7 samples—with more found in areas with heavier human activity. This matters because it shows plastic pollution is working its way into land-based food chains, not just oceans, which raises questions about how much plastic might eventually make its way up the food chain to humans through the animals and environments we depend on.
Plastic pollution in terrestrial and freshwater environments and its accumulation along food chains has been poorly studied in birds. In this paper we reported evidence of microplastic (MP) contamination in pellets collected in rural and urban sites for a set of species: common kestrel, Falco tinnunculus; great cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo; barn owl, Tyto alba; little owl, Athene noctua; long-eared owl, Asio otus; Eurasian scops owl, Otus scops; European bee-eater, Merops apiaster; and little egret, Egretta garzetta. A total of 559 pellets were collected and analyzed; among them, 78 microplastics were found on 77 pellets (13.8% compared to the total number of pellets sampled). The following polymers were recorded: polyvinylchloride (PVC), polyethylene (PE), expanded polyester (EPS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polyester (PES), polymethyl acrylate (PMA), rubber, and starch-based biopolymer. We found significantly higher MP frequency in the most anthropized site. Pellets with the highest number of microplastics were those produced by Falco tinnunculus, Asio otus, and Tyto alba, with 30.0%, 29.6%, and 27.1%, respectively. Of a total sample of 78 MP items, 59.0% are represented by fibers, 23.1% by fragments and 17.9% by films. Among the microplastics, fragments of balloons (in a remote area) and biopolymer shopping bags were found. Our results suggest that pellet analysis may represent a cost-effective method for monitoring MP contamination along food chains in terrestrial ecosystems.
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Interspecific differences in microplastic accumulation and polymer profiles from regurgitated pellets of coexisting raptors
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Scientists studied tiny plastic bits (microplastics) found in the leftover indigestible pellets that owls and kestrels cough up after eating prey, and found that almost all the pellets contained plastic — with kestrels showing way more contamination than owls, even though the birds live in the same areas. This matters because it shows plastic pollution is working its way up the food chain into predators, which raises questions about how much plastic might also be building up in the meat, fish, and other animal products humans eat.
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Researchers found microplastics in the digestive tracts of all 16 terrestrial raptors (hawks and owls) examined on California's central coast, averaging over 12 particles per bird. The study is significant because it shows microplastic contamination has spread into land-based food chains, not just aquatic ones, raising questions about how plastic pollution affects predatory bird populations.
Accumulation of microplastics in predatory birds near a densely populated urban area
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Researchers found microplastics in every single digestive tract examined from four species of predatory birds near a major city, and 65% also had microplastics in their respiratory systems. On average, each bird contained about 8 microplastic particles, mostly fibers, likely ingested through contaminated prey. This is the first study to document microplastic contamination in the breathing organs of birds of prey, showing how plastic pollution moves up the food chain.
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