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Organ-level translocation and tissue-specific accumulation of micro- and nanoplastics in wild birds
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Researchers quantified micro- and nanoplastic burdens across six tissues in ten wild bird species and found that smaller-bodied birds carried higher plastic loads. Nanoplastics showed greater ability to move into internal organs than larger microplastics, and plastic particles were detected in the brain, blood, lungs, and muscle tissue. The study suggests that blood plastic levels could serve as a proxy for internal organ contamination and positions wild birds as potential bioindicators for plastic pollution.
Global plastic pollution has introduced microplastics (MPs, < 5 mm) and nanoplastics (NPs, < 1 µm), collectively termed micro(nano)plastics (MNPs), into terrestrial ecosystems, yet their in vivo fate remains unclear. We quantified MNP burdens across six tissues-feathers, lungs, intestinal contents, blood, brain, and pectoral muscle-in ten wild bird species spanning a 55-fold body-mass gradient, using Laser Direct Infrared spectroscopy (LDIR) for MPs (20-500 µm) and Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (Py-GC-MS) for NPs. Six patterns emerged: (1) small-bodied birds carried higher MNP burdens than larger species; (2) exposure interfaces harbored more MNPs than internal compartments; (3) NPs showed greater translocation potential than MPs; (4) particle characteristics shaped abundance-pellet acrylates (ACR), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) dominated internal tissues, while fibers were largely excluded by anatomical filtration; (5) blood MNP levels showed a positive trend with those in internal organs, suggesting potential utility as a proxy for internal burden; (6) hazard index analysis identified high-risk burdens in most organs, with PVC and polyurethane (PU) requiring regulatory attention. This study provides the first organ-level MNP distribution map under natural exposure and positions birds as potential bioindicators for cryptic plastic pollution in terrestrial systems.
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Assessing microplastic and nanoplastic contamination in bird lungs: evidence of ecological risks and bioindicator potential
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Researchers examined the lungs of 51 bird species and found microplastics in all of them, averaging over 400 particles per gram of lung tissue, with nanoplastics also detected in five species tested. Birds may serve as early warning indicators of airborne plastic pollution, and the widespread contamination of their lungs suggests that humans breathing the same air face similar exposure risks.
Birds as bioindicators of plastic pollution in terrestrial and freshwater environments: A 30-year review
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This 30-year review of 106 studies examines how birds in freshwater and land environments are affected by plastic pollution. Most research has focused on larger plastic pieces, while microplastic exposure in these bird species is understudied and nanoplastic exposure has not been investigated at all. The authors urge researchers to develop standardized methods for measuring small plastic particles in birds, which could serve as valuable warning signs of plastic pollution across ecosystems.
Birds as Bioindicators: Revealing the Widespread Impact of Microplastics
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This systematic review found microplastics in over 200 bird species across the globe, from Antarctica to South Europe. Birds can suffer gut damage, oxidative stress, and toxic chemical buildup from ingesting plastics — a warning sign for broader ecosystem and food chain contamination that could affect humans too.
Birds and plastic pollution: recent advances
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This review summarizes how plastic pollution affects birds across both aquatic and terrestrial habitats, covering ingestion, entanglement, and chemical exposure from macro- and microplastics. Researchers found that hundreds of bird species have accumulated plastic in their tissues, with effects ranging from physical injury to hormonal disruption and reproductive harm. The study positions birds as valuable indicator species for monitoring the broader environmental impact of plastic pollution.
Microplastic accumulation in the gastrointestinal tracts of nestling and adult migratory birds
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Researchers examined microplastic accumulation in the gastrointestinal tracts of both nestling and adult migratory birds across six species, finding widespread plastic ingestion with fibers predominating, suggesting that microplastic exposure begins early in avian life stages.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.