Monitoring macroplastic ingestion by birds and marine mammals in northeastern Patagonia, Argentina

KLOPERTANZ N; AMESTOY M; ABATE S; WINTER M

MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2022 vol. 185

0025-326X

Plastic debris is of particular concern due to its abundance, and its persistence in the environment. In Argentina, the impact of plastic debris has been documented with a significant increase during the last years. However, evidence of debris ingestion remains low compared to other regions of the world. Between 2020 and 2022, one of the twenty-three individuals analyzed in this study (seven species: five birds and two marine mammals) had ingested plastic debris. A single macroplastic piece was found in the Great Grebe (Podiceps major). It was a hardy yellow elastic band that appears to be a packaging band in agreement with the debris category with the greatest number of reports. This study is a contribution to the few records of plastic ingestion in birds, on the east coast of South America.