Heidi Acampora, Qamar A. Schuyler, Kathy A. Townsend, Britta Denise 
Hardesty, Comparing plastic ingestion in juvenile and adult stranded 
short-tailed shearwaters (Puffinus tenuirostris) in eastern Australia, 
Marine Pollution Bulletin, Available online 2 December 2013, ISSN 
0025-326X, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2013.11.009.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X13007108)
Abstract: Numerous species of seabirds have been shown to ingest 
anthropogenic debris, but few studies have compared ingestion rates 
between adults and juveniles of the same species. We investigated marine 
debris ingestion by short-tailed shearwaters (Puffinus tenuirostris) 
obtained through two stranding events on North Stradbroke Island, 
Australia in 2010 (n = 102; adult) and 2012 (n = 27; juveniles). 
Necropsies were conducted and solid contents found in guts were 
categorized into type and color. Over 67% of birds ingested 
anthropogenic debris: 399 pieces of debris were identified. We found no 
significant relationship between body condition of birds which had 
ingested anthropogenic debris and those that had not. Juvenile birds 
were more likely to ingest debris than were adult birds and juveniles 
ingested significantly more pieces of debris than did adults. Male and 
female birds ingested similar amounts and weights of debris. To 
determine if P. tenuirostris actively selects for certain types of 
debris, we compared ingested debris to samples obtained from boat-based 
tows. Significant differences were found, suggesting that the birds 
select for hard plastic, rubber and balloons.
Keywords: Ingestion; Marine debris; Plastic–Puffinus tenuirostris; 
Surface trawl sampling