Plastic Consumption: A Bird's Health Crisis

Birds are eating hundreds of bits of plastic every day, according to a new study. The plastic is entering the food chain through worms and insects, which are then eaten by birds. The problem is particularly severe for seabirds, with 90% of them eating plastic now, and virtually every one predicted to be consuming it by 2050. Scientists have been tracking plastic ingestion by seabirds for decades, and the numbers are shocking: in 1960, plastic was found in the stomachs of fewer than five percent, but by 1980, it had jumped to 80 percent.

Characteristics	Values
Percentage of seabirds eating plastic	90%
Year by which virtually every seabird will be consuming plastic	2050
Plastic found inside birds	Bags, bottle caps, synthetic fibres from clothing, and tiny rice-sized bits
Plastic found in the stomachs of seabirds in 1960	Fewer than 5%
Plastic found in the stomachs of seabirds in 1980	80%
Birds in Britain's rivers eat hundreds of fragments of microplastics daily	Worms and insects they eat have swallowed plastics
Highest concentration of plastic in birds	Southern Australia, South Africa, and South America

What You'll Learn

Plastic in birds' stomachs has increased from 5% in 1960 to 80% in 1980
Plastic found in birds includes bottle caps, bags, and synthetic fibres
Plastic is making its way up the food chain, with birds eating insects that have swallowed plastic
The highest concentration of plastic in birds is found in populations in southern Australia, South Africa, and South America
Global plastic production doubles every 11 years

Plastic in birds' stomachs has increased from 5% in 1960 to 80% in 1980

Scientists have been tracking plastic ingestion by seabirds for decades. Plastic found inside birds includes bags, bottle caps, synthetic fibres from clothing, and tiny rice-sized bits. The highest concentration of plastic in birds can be found in populations in southern Australia, South Africa, and South America, where coastlines are closest to loosely-concentrated collections of ocean debris in the southern Pacific, southern Atlantic, and Indian Oceans.

A new study has also found that birds are eating hundreds of fragments of microplastics daily because the worms and insects they eat have also swallowed plastics. This is the first study to show how plastic pollution makes its way up the food chain.

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Plastic found in birds includes bottle caps, bags, and synthetic fibres

Seabirds are eating more plastic than ever before. In 1960, plastic was found in the stomachs of fewer than five per cent of seabirds, but by 1980, this had jumped to 80 per cent. Now, 90 per cent of seabirds eat plastic, and virtually every one will be consuming it by 2050.

Plastic found inside birds includes bottle caps, bags, and synthetic fibres from clothing. Birds are eating hundreds of bits of plastic every day through the food they eat. Scientists from Cardiff University, the University of Exeter and the Greenpeace Research Laboratories found that birds along Britain's rivers are eating hundreds of fragments of microplastics daily because the worms and insects they eat have also swallowed plastic.

The highest concentration of plastic in birds can be found in populations in southern Australia, South Africa, and South America, where coastlines are closest to loosely-concentrated collections of ocean debris in the southern Pacific, southern Atlantic, and Indian Oceans.

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Plastic is making its way up the food chain, with birds eating insects that have swallowed plastic

Scientists have been tracking plastic ingestion by seabirds for decades. In 1960, plastic was found in the stomachs of fewer than five per cent, but by 1980, it had jumped to 80 per cent. Now, 90 per cent of seabirds eat plastic, and virtually every one will be consuming it by 2050.

The highest concentration of plastic in birds can be found in populations in southern Australia, South Africa, and South America, where coastlines are closest to loosely concentrated collections of ocean debris in the southern Pacific, southern Atlantic, and Indian Oceans.

Plastic found inside birds includes bags, bottle caps, synthetic fibres from clothing, and tiny rice-sized bits.

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The highest concentration of plastic in birds is found in populations in southern Australia, South Africa, and South America

According to a 2019 study, 90% of seabirds eat plastic, and virtually every one will be consuming it by 2050. This is a sharp increase from 1960, when plastic was found in the stomachs of fewer than 5% of seabirds.

The plastic found inside birds includes bags, bottle caps, synthetic fibres from clothing, and tiny rice-sized bits. Birds are also eating hundreds of fragments of microplastics daily because the worms and insects they eat have also swallowed plastics.

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Global plastic production doubles every 11 years

Birds are eating hundreds of bits of plastic every day through the food they eat. In 1960, plastic was found in the stomachs of fewer than five per cent of seabirds, but by 1980, this had jumped to 80 per cent. Now, 90 per cent of seabirds eat plastic, and virtually every one will be consuming it by 2050.

The plastic found inside birds includes bags, bottle caps, synthetic fibres from clothing, and tiny rice-sized bits. This is because the worms and insects they eat have also swallowed plastic, meaning plastic pollution is making its way up the food chain.

The highest concentration of plastic in birds can be found in populations in southern Australia, South Africa, and South America. This is because coastlines are closest to loosely-concentrated collections of ocean debris in the southern Pacific, southern Atlantic, and Indian Oceans.