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20 resultsShowing papers similar to Assessing the risks of marine debris ingestion to Procellariiform seabirds
ClearPrevalência 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.
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.
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.
Threat of plastic pollution to seabirds is global, pervasive, and increasing
Researchers performed a global spatial risk analysis combining ocean plastic distribution data with the ranges of 186 seabird species to assess which birds face the greatest threat from plastic ingestion. They found that nearly 60% of all seabird species have been documented with plastic in their guts, and predicted that 99% of species will be affected by 2050 at current trends. The study identifies the Southern Ocean as a particular hotspot of risk where high plastic concentrations overlap with diverse and vulnerable seabird populations.
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.
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.
Contamination of coastal and marine bird species with plastics: Global analysis and synthesis
This review summarizes global data on plastic contamination in coastal and marine bird species across all seven continents, finding that seabirds like fulmars, shearwaters, and albatrosses are the most heavily affected. Birds ingest microplastics, mesoplastics, and macroplastics that can cause death directly through gut blockage and indirectly through toxic chemicals absorbed onto or released from the plastic. Several contaminated species are already classified as endangered.
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.
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.
Sublethal consequences of plastic exposure in seabirds
Researchers studied the sublethal effects of macroplastic and microplastic ingestion in flesh-footed shearwaters (seabirds) and found evidence of reduced body condition, altered blood chemistry, and elevated chemical tissue concentrations. The findings suggest that plastic ingestion causes measurable harm to seabirds even below lethal doses, with implications for population health in plastic-polluted marine environments.
Global assessment of marine plastic exposure risk for oceanic birds
Researchers combined ocean plastic density maps with GPS tracking data for over 7,000 seabirds across 77 petrel species to identify where birds are most likely to encounter and accidentally eat plastic debris. High-risk zones were identified in the Mediterranean, northeast Pacific, and South Atlantic, with threatened species facing disproportionately greater exposure — often in international waters beyond any single country's control.
Anthropogenic Debris Ingestion by Avifauna in Eastern Australia
A study of Australian coastal and marine birds found widespread ingestion of anthropogenic debris across many species, with diving and surface-feeding birds most affected. This research highlights that plastic pollution poses a direct physical threat to seabird health across a broad range of Australian species, with debris ingestion linked to feeding ecology.
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.
Birds and plastic pollution: recent advances
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.
Adsorption behaviors of triclosan by non-biodegradable and biodegradable microplastics: Kinetics and mechanism
This study assessed microplastic ingestion by seven seabird species in the North Atlantic, finding plastic in the stomach contents of 87% of individuals. Procellariform birds had the highest ingestion rates, consistent with their foraging behavior near the sea surface.
Plastic pollution threatens shorebirds: a global review
This systematic review summarizes global research on how plastic pollution threatens shorebirds through ingestion and entanglement. The findings highlight that microplastics are spreading throughout coastal ecosystems, and since shorebirds serve as indicators of environmental health, their contamination signals broader risks to the food webs that also affect human communities.
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.
A quantitative risk assessment framework for mortality due to macroplastic ingestion in seabirds, marine mammals, and sea turtles
Researchers analyzed over 10,000 necropsies of seabirds, marine mammals, and sea turtles to quantify the risk of death from swallowing large plastic debris. The study found that sea turtles faced the highest mortality rate at 4.4%, and the type of plastic mattered: rubber was most dangerous for seabirds, fishing debris for marine mammals, and soft plastics for sea turtles.
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.
Microplastics ingestion and chemical pollutants in seabirds of Gran Canaria (Canary Islands, Spain)
Gastrointestinal examination of 88 seabirds from 14 species on Gran Canaria revealed widespread plastic ingestion alongside elevated chemical pollutant levels in liver tissue. The study documents the co-occurrence of plastic ingestion and chemical contamination in Canary Island seabirds, where plastic pollution research has previously been limited.