Hundreds of pieces of plastic are eaten by birds every year — scientists
A new study by scientists at Cardiff University showed that not only marine animals suffer from plastic, but also birds. The latter annually eat up to a hundred particles of plastic, which gets into their bodies with food.
Plastic pollutants travel very quickly along the food chain. Polypropylene, polyester and nylon enter the organisms of fish and birds, and only then the organisms of predators that eat them. Particles of plastic have already been found in birds that dive into ponds for insects, informs The west news.
“For almost 40 years of research on rivers and oceans, we had no idea how much plastic particles would spread around the planet. We could not imagine that one day our work will reveal birds that consume hundreds of particles daily,” the researchers note.
Read also: Over the past 100 years, insects have become less food — research
Plastic pollutants travel very quickly along the food chain. Polypropylene, polyester and nylon enter the organisms of fish and birds, and only then the organisms of predators that eat them. Particles of plastic have already been found in birds that dive into ponds for insects, informs The west news.
“For almost 40 years of research on rivers and oceans, we had no idea how much plastic particles would spread around the planet. We could not imagine that one day our work will reveal birds that consume hundreds of particles daily,” the researchers note.
Read also: Over the past 100 years, insects have become less food — research
