Jennifer L. Lavers, Alexander L. Bond, Ian Hutton, Plastic ingestion by 
Flesh-footed Shearwaters (Puffinus carneipes): Implications for 
fledgling body condition and the accumulation of plastic-derived 
chemicals, Environmental Pollution, Volume 187, April 2014, Pages 
124-129, ISSN 0269-7491, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2013.12.020.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749113006532)
Abstract: To provide much needed quantitative data on the lethal and 
sublethal effects of plastic pollution on marine wildlife, we sampled 
breast feathers and stomach contents from Flesh-footed Shearwater 
(Puffinus carneipes) fledglings in eastern Australia. Birds with high 
levels of ingested plastic exhibited reduced body condition and 
increased contaminant load (p < 0.05). More than 60% of fledglings 
exceed international targets for plastic ingestion by seabirds, with 16% 
of fledglings failing these targets after a single feeding (range: 
0.13–3.21 g of plastic/feeding). As top predators, seabirds are 
considered sentinels of the marine environment. The amount of plastic 
ingested and corresponding damage to Flesh-footed Shearwater fledglings 
is the highest reported for any marine vertebrate, suggesting the 
condition of the Australian marine environment is poor. These findings 
help explain the ongoing decline of this species and are worrying in 
light of increasing levels of plastic pollution in our oceans.
Keywords: Body condition; Flesh-footed Shearwater; Marine debris; 
Plastic ingestion; Trace metals