Ingestion of plastics and other debris by coastal and pelagic birds along the coast of Espírito Santo, Eastern Brazil

• Published in: Marine pollution bulletin 2021-12, Vol.173 (Pt B), p.113046-113046, Article 113046
• Main Authors: Vanstreels, Ralph Eric Thijl, Gallo, Luciana, Serafini, Patricia P., Santos, Allan P., Egert, Leandro, Uhart, Marcela M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Anthropogenic factors; Aquatic birds; Birds; Brazil; Calonectris borealis; Charadriiformes; Coasts; Debris; Eating; Environmental Monitoring; Foreign body ingestion; Gastrointestinal Contents - chemistry; Ingestion; Marine debris; Penguin; Plastic debris; Plastic ingestion; Plastics; Procellariiformes; Puffinus puffinus; Seabirds; Species; Spheniscidae; Spheniscus magellanicus; Sula leucogaster; Thalassarche chlororhynchos; Tropical climate; Waste Products - analysis
• ISSN: 0025-326X; 1879-3363
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.113046

Although the ingestion of plastics and other anthropogenic debris by seabirds is a global problem, few studies have employed standardized protocols to quantify and classify the debris ingested by seabirds in the Southwest Atlantic. We evaluated the ingestion of marine debris (items >0.1 mm) by 126 coastal and pelagic birds (19 species) along the coast of Espírito Santo, Eastern Brazil. Debris were found in 30% of birds examined (11 species). Particles 0.1 g of plastic debris was recorded in five species: Atlantic yellow-nosed albatrosses (Thalassarche chlororhynchos), Cory's shearwaters (Calonectris borealis), Manx shearwaters (Puffinus puffinus), brown boobies (Sula leucogaster), and Magellanic penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus). Our findings suggest that the ingestion of marine debris, especially plastics, is a common problem for coastal and pelagic birds in tropical Southwest Atlantic waters. [Display omitted] •Debris ingestion occurred in 30% of coastal and pelagic birds in Eastern Brazil.•Most ingested debris (97%) were plastics, especially fragments/pellets and filaments.•Debris were most frequent in albatrosses, shearwaters, boobies and penguins.•Smaller items (0.1 to 1 mm) accounted for 35% of debris items.•Only one death (0.8%) was directly attributed to debris ingestion.