Plastic occurrence in nests of a large forest bird

Abstract

The study investigated the presence of waste plastic in fifty-three black stork (Ciconia nigra) nests with nestlings in Central Poland. Although the black stork is typically an old-growth forest species, fourteen nests (26%) contained plastic, predominantly polypropylene string, fragments of polypropylene bags used in agriculture, wrapping foil, fragments of plastic shopping bags, and plastic textiles. The probability of the presence of plastic in nests decreased with the increasing distance of the nest from the forest’s edge. Out of 141 black stork nestlings examined, two nestlings (1.42%) from two different nests were firmly entangled with plastic strings around their legs. The relatively high percentage (26%) of black stork nests with plastic indicates pollution of local habitats with plastic and possibly a negative anthropogenic impact on old-growth forests in Central Poland. In our study area, this impact could be a result of both high forest fragmentation and heavy human activity in forests.

Keywords

• Waste plastic
• Anthropogenic pollution
• Black stork
• Ciconia nigra
• Entanglement
• Human impact