Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Plastic debris ingestion by seabirds on the Korean Peninsula

Researchers examined plastic ingestion in 387 seabirds of 11 species on the Korean Peninsula and found the highest frequency in Swinhoe's storm petrels (93.7%), with plastic characteristics varying by species feeding ecology, providing baseline data for monitoring marine debris impacts in East Asian waters.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 36 citations
Article Tier 2

The hidden cost of following currents: Microplastic ingestion in a planktivorous seabird

Researchers documented microplastic ingestion in Mediterranean storm petrels, finding that these planktivorous seabirds ingest microplastics while foraging in pelagic areas where plastic debris accumulates alongside their planktonic prey in ocean currents.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Diet of non-breeding leach’s storm-petrels (Hydrobates leucorhous) in the sub-polar frontal zone of the North Atlantic

Researchers characterized the diet of non-breeding Leach's storm-petrels in the North Atlantic using stomach content analysis and stable isotope techniques. While the primary focus was on natural prey items, the study also documented the presence of ingested plastic debris in the birds' stomachs. The findings contribute to understanding how pelagic seabirds interact with marine plastic pollution during their non-breeding periods at sea.

2024 Marine Biology 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Size and dynamics of microplastic in gastrointestinal tracts of Northern Fulmars ( Fulmarus glacialis ) and Sooty Shearwaters ( Ardenna grisea )

Researchers examined microplastic in the gastrointestinal tracts of 143 Northern Fulmars and 25 Sooty Shearwaters stranded on Oregon and Washington beaches, finding plastic in 89.5% and 64% of birds respectively, with larger particles concentrated in the stomach's upper chamber and no significant reduction in plastic load in birds held in a plastic-free rehabilitation environment for up to seven days.

2017 Marine Pollution Bulletin 116 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic ingestion in seabirds of the western Indian Ocean

Researchers examined stomach contents of 222 seabirds from nine species in the western Indian Ocean and found plastic in all species, with tropical shearwaters (79%) and Barau's petrels (59%) most affected, and juvenile birds carrying significantly greater plastic mass than adults, indicating regional ocean plastic pollution and age-dependent exposure risks.

2019 Marine Pollution Bulletin 71 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic ingestion: Are seabirds more affected than other marine species?

This review examines whether seabirds ingest plastic more frequently than other marine species, finding they are among the most affected groups with high rates of plastic ingestion documented across species. The review discusses factors including foraging behavior, habitat, and ocean plastic concentrations that explain why seabirds are particularly vulnerable.

2019 Revista de Iniciación Científica 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Interspecific variability in plastic ingested by Procellariiformes off the Uruguayan coast.

This study assessed plastic ingestion in albatrosses and petrels caught as fishing bycatch in the Southwest Atlantic, finding significant species differences — with petrels ingesting plastic far more frequently than albatrosses. Larger species tended to ingest larger plastic items, and findings indicate these seabirds encounter persistent plastic pollution throughout the southern oceans.

2023 Marine pollution bulletin
Article Tier 2

Characterization of Plastics Ingested by the Bioindicator Cory’s Shearwater from Tenerife Island (Canary Islands): Implications for Marine Environmental Monitoring

Researchers characterised 674 plastic items found in the stomachs of Cory's shearwater fledglings from the Canary Islands, finding that ingested plastics were predominantly large microplastics (1-5 mm, 82%) with threadlike morphology, and that the birds serve as effective bioindicators of marine plastic pollution in the eastern Atlantic.

2025 Microplastics
Article Tier 2

Plastic ingestion by seabirds in New Caledonia, South Pacific

Researchers examined stomach contents of 90 seabirds from 12 species in New Caledonia and found plastic debris in 14.4% of individuals, with the highest rates in procellariids (petrels and shearwaters), providing the first plastic ingestion baseline for this Pacific island region.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Pellets and Prey Remains as Indicators of the Diet of Two Sympatric Skuas (aves: Stercorariidae) on King George Island, Antarctica

Researchers analyzed pellets and prey remains from two species of Antarctic skuas to understand their feeding habits. This type of dietary study in polar seabirds can reveal whether marine predators are inadvertently ingesting microplastics along with their prey.

2021 Oecologia Australis 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Seabirds in a flap: The ingestion of meso/macro marine debris, microplastics and oil/tar by marine and coastal birds in the United Arab Emirates

Researchers documented the first published data on solid marine debris, microplastic, and oil ingestion by seabirds in the Arabian Gulf and Red Sea, finding that multiple coastal and marine bird species in the Middle East regularly ingest plastic particles and petroleum residues.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Seabird plastic ingestion differs among collection methods: Examples from the short-tailed shearwater.

This study compared plastic loads in short-tailed shearwaters collected as fishing bycatch versus naturally dead beached birds, finding that naturally dead birds carried significantly more plastic debris. The results suggest that studies relying only on beached carcasses overestimate typical plastic ingestion rates in seabird populations.

2018 Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)
Article Tier 2

Métodos para avaliação da exposição a poluentes plásticos em procellariiformes

This paper reviews methods for assessing plastic exposure in Procellariiformes seabirds — including albatrosses and petrels — focusing on how to measure plastic ingestion in both live and beached birds. Standardized methods are needed to monitor how plastic pollution affects these ocean-going birds over time.

2021 Biodiversidade Brasileira 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Exposure to microplastics by pelagic and coastal seabirds from temperate and tropical environments

Researchers examined microplastic exposure in pelagic and coastal seabird species from temperate and tropical marine environments, using the birds' broad spatial distribution and feeding behavior to assess microplastic distribution and concentration patterns across oceanic regions.

2022 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Micro- and mesoplastic contaminants in marine diving ducks: A first assessments from the coast of Japan

Researchers conducted the first assessment of plastic contamination in two species of mollusk-eating seaducks wintering along Japan's Pacific coast and found microplastics in all ten birds examined. The vast majority of particles were tiny fragments under 200 micrometers, a size class previously overlooked in seaduck studies, suggesting these birds ingest microplastics primarily through their contaminated prey.

2026 Marine Pollution Bulletin
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Species-specific accumulation of microplastics in different bird species from South China: A comprehensive analysis

Across 24 bird species in South China, insectivorous birds accumulated significantly more small microplastics (under 0.1 mm) than other feeding guilds, while piscivorous birds accumulated more large microplastics (over 1 mm). Diet source was a stronger predictor of microplastic contamination than trophic level or body weight, with polypropylene and PET as the dominant polymer types found.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing plastic ingestion in the White stork (Ciconia ciconia) through regurgitated pellets

Researchers collected and analyzed regurgitated pellets from a white stork colony in central Spain to assess plastic and microplastic ingestion levels and their relationship to landfill use. About 3.44% of pellet content consisted of plastic, confirming that storks feeding at landfills ingest meaningful quantities of plastic materials, with chemical composition analysis identifying the polymer types involved.

2025 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic ingestion by common terns (Sterna hirundo) and their prey during the non-breeding season

Microplastics were found in all 10 common terns and in 53% of their regurgitated prey samples from a South American migratory stopover site, with fibres predominating and cellulose ester plastics, PET, and polyacrylonitrile as the most common polymers, confirming trophic transfer of microplastics.

2023 Environmental Pollution 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic debris in marine birds from an island located in the South China Sea

Plastic debris including microplastics was found in the digestive tracts of seabirds from a South China Sea island, with blue plastic threads accounting for most of the contamination. Seabirds are sensitive indicators of ocean plastic pollution, and this study adds to global evidence of marine birds ingesting microplastics worldwide.

2019 Marine Pollution Bulletin 65 citations
Article Tier 2

Prevalência e tipos de plásticos em Albatrozes e Petréis (aves: procellariiformes)

Researchers quantified and classified plastic debris in Procellariiformes seabirds — albatrosses and petrels — found on Brazilian beaches, finding plastic ingestion in multiple species. These ocean-going birds are among the most vulnerable to plastic pollution because they feed from the ocean surface where plastics concentrate.

2022 Biodiversidade Brasileira 7 citations