We all discard a huge amount of plastic and other man-made materials into the environment, and these are often picked up by birds.
We all discard a huge amount of plastic and other man-made materials into the environment, and these are often picked up by birds. New research has shown that 176 bird species around the world are now known to include a wide range of anthropogenic materials in their nests. All over the world, birds are using our left-over or discarded materials. Seabirds in Australia incorporate fishing nets into their nests, ospreys in North America include baler twine, birds living in cities in South America add cigarette butts, and common blackbirds in Europe pick up plastic bags to add to their nests.
This material found in birds’ nests can be beneficial say researchers. For example, cigarette butts retain nicotine and other compounds that repel ectoparasites that attach themselves to nestling bird’s skin and suck blood from them. Meanwhile, there are suggestions that harder man-made materials may help to provide structural support for birds’ nests, while plastic films could help provide insulation and keep offspring warm. Despite such potential benefits, it is important to remember that such anthropogenic material can also be harmful to birds.
This research was published in a special issue of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B on “The evolutionary ecology of nests: a cross-taxon approach”. The special issue was jointly organised by Mark Mainwaring, a Lecturer in Global Change Biology in the School of Natural Sciences at Bangor University.
Read more at Bangor University
Image: Two white storks sit on a nest containing plastic. (Credit: Zuzanna Jagiello)
