Plastic trash used as nesting material can strangle chicks
Over 90% of white stork nests that researchers studied used plastic and other human debris as nesting material. Plastic ropes, like baler twine used to bind hay or straw on farms, were especially dangerous to the birds. Using white storks (Ciconia ciconia) as a case study for how plastic in nests affects land birds, researchers published new research documenting 568 white stork nests across 36 colonies in southern Portugal over four years. They found chicks often become entangled when they are young, and as they grow, the ropes slowly strangle their limbs, leading to necrosis and amputations. Twelve percent of chicks—35 out of 290—became entangled, many dying from their injuries. While soft plastic, like plastic bags, was the most prevalent material found in nests, researchers found that baler twine was responsible for half of all chick entanglements. “This study suggests that the threat posed by human-derived materials to terrestrial birds may be far more severe than previously recognized,” said lead author Ursula Heinze, a postgraduate researcher in environmental sciences at the University of East Anglia, in a press release. Researchers also linked the presence of ropes in nesting materials to surrounding agricultural areas. “Our findings … highlight the urgent need to remove and replace hazardous materials such as polypropylene baler twine from both agricultural use and the environment,” Heinze said.
Read more at the University of East Anglia.
