Sea birds and plastics
100% of some chicks in some regions have plastic in their stomach.
Ocean and beach plastics are a huge epidemic, 450 pieces of plastic were found in a single Albatross chick in 2019.
Birds can mistake plastic floating on the water for food, which can cause injury or death. The effects of toxic chemicals absorbed by the body are less clear.
Species in decline
With nearly half of the world's seabird species in decline, and 28% classed as globally threatened, chemical pollution is a "pervasive and growing threat", said the researchers.
A study in Howe Island, off the eastern coast of Australia
Found that birds were physically smaller as a result of ingesting plastic, the study showed, with shorter wings and bills and a lower body mass. Plastic also worsened their kidney function.
Inside the stomach
A collection of plastic shards found inside the seabirds studied.
Devastating facts
Nearly every seabird on earth is eating plastic; around 90% are carrying the material in their stomachs, according a WWF report last year that supported previous studies.
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