Papers

61,005 results
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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
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

Assessing the risks of marine debris ingestion to Procellariiform seabirds

This study assessed the risks of marine debris ingestion for Procellariiform seabirds — one of the world's most threatened bird groups — finding that plastic ingestion poses significant risks to health and survival. The analysis highlights how plastic pollution interacts with other stressors affecting globally threatened seabird species.

2018 Open Access Repository (University of Tasmania) 1 citations
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

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

Recommended best practices for plastic and litter ingestion studies in marine birds: Collection, processing, and reporting

This paper proposed standardized best practices for sampling, processing, and reporting plastic ingestion in marine birds, aiming to improve consistency across studies and enable meaningful large-scale comparisons.

2019 FACETS 147 citations
Article Tier 2

Overview of plastic ingestion in seabirds: a call for harmonized methods

This review examined over 2,500 publications on plastic ingestion in seabirds to map methodological approaches for sampling, detection, and analysis of macro- and microplastics across species. The authors identified major gaps including over-reliance on visual classification, limited use of chemical identification techniques, and inconsistent protocols, issuing a call for harmonized standardized methods to enable meaningful cross-study comparisons.

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

Seabirds as indicators of distribution, trends and population level effects of plastics in the Arctic marine environment. Workshop Report

This workshop report examines the use of seabirds as indicators of plastic and microplastic pollution in Arctic marine environments, summarizing current monitoring methods and knowledge gaps. Seabirds accumulate plastics through ingestion, making them useful sentinels for tracking pollution trends.

2019 Duo Research Archive (University of Oslo) 3 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

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

New Methods for the Quantification of Ingested Nano- and Ultrafine Plastics in Seabirds.

This study developed flow cytometry as a method to detect and quantify very small plastic particles (under 70 micrometers) in the feces of seabirds, addressing a major gap in detecting nano- and ultrafine plastics that standard techniques miss. Testing on two Australian shearwater species showed the method could detect particles far smaller than previously measurable, suggesting that seabirds ingest far more plastic by particle count than previously recognized.

2023 Environmental science & technology
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

Shorebirds ingest plastics too: what we know, what we do not know, and what we should do next

This review synthesized existing knowledge on plastic ingestion by shorebirds, finding that despite high potential exposure through foraging in contaminated habitats, research on shorebird plastic ingestion remains limited and requires more systematic investigation.

2022 Environmental Reviews 30 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

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

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

Long-term variations in size and polymer type of meso- and microplastics in seabirds and on beaches since the 1980s

Researchers analyzed plastics found in seabird stomachs and on beaches at a remote South Atlantic island across several decades since the 1980s to track long-term changes in marine plastic pollution. They found shifts in the types and sizes of plastic polymers over time, reflecting changes in global plastic production and how plastics degrade at sea. The study demonstrates that seabirds can serve as effective long-term monitors of floating plastic pollution trends in the ocean.

2025 Environmental Pollution 3 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

Evaluation of meso- and microplastic ingestion by the northern fulmar through a non-lethal sampling method

Using a non-lethal stomach flushing method on Arctic fulmars at Svalbard, researchers found plastics in only three of 22 birds — much lower burdens than previously reported — but identified a key methodological limitation: the technique misses plastics accumulated in the gizzard where most plastic concentrates. The study is valuable for showing that repeated, non-lethal sampling of the same individuals over time is possible, which could improve long-term plastic ingestion monitoring in seabirds.

2023 Marine Pollution Bulletin 6 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

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

Garbage in guano? Microplastic debris found in faecal precursors of seabirds known to ingest plastics

Microplastics including fibers and fragments were detected in faecal precursors (pellets) from seabirds known to ingest plastics, providing non-lethal evidence of plastic ingestion that could be used in monitoring programs. The method offers a practical way to assess plastic ingestion in protected seabird species without requiring destructive sampling.

2018 The Science of The Total Environment 219 citations
Article Tier 2

Birds as bioindicators of plastic pollution in terrestrial and freshwater environments: A 30-year review

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.

2024 Environmental Pollution 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Seabirds: studies with parasitofauna and potential indicator for environmental anthropogenic impacts

Seabirds act as environmental sentinels because they accumulate plastic debris, chemical contaminants, and parasites that reflect the health of marine ecosystems. This review calls for seabird monitoring to be integrated with broader marine pollution tracking efforts.

2020 Semina Ciências Agrárias 7 citations